Chapter 6

Chapter 3

The Strange Regulations of the North District Police Station

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Date... March 13th, one week before the dismemberment case.

It was also the second day of the second lunar month, known as the Dragon Head-Raising Day, or the Blue Dragon Festival. This day usually marks the return of yang energy and the thawing of the earth. However, unexpectedly, the weather in Chengnan City seemed a bit abnormal today...

The weather, which should have been warming up, suddenly turned cold at midnight. According to Lin Fei's calculations, this was likely due to Chengnan City being located in the center of three large mountains, which blocked the warm currents that should have been flowing in, causing the temperature to drop suddenly as it was gradually warming up! When he got up early in the morning, it had already started to rain heavily, and soon the rain was mixed with large chunks of broken snow falling from the sky.

Feeling the temperature drop, he hurriedly took out the cotton jacket he had put away in the cabinet and put it on. When he saw the rain and snow outside the window turn into a heavy snowfall, he couldn't help but complain, "This damn weather, my first day at work and I'm so unlucky!"

Perhaps awakened by the noise he made while rummaging through his clothes, he saw An Kang, who was only wearing a thin blanket, float past him, and he couldn't help but comment, "Not only is the weather unlucky, but even your job is associated with the word 'unlucky'!"

After using the toilet, An Kang walked over to him, glanced at the snow outside, and said, "Luckily, my school is on holiday today, or I would have been unlucky too!"

"Can't you say something nice in the morning?" Lin Fei complained helplessly.

"I wish I could, but as soon as I opened my eyes, I remembered that you're starting as a damn forensic doctor today!"

At the mention of "forensic doctor," An Kang shuddered, "I can't think of a single nice thing to say!"

After An Kang finished speaking, Lin Fei felt depressed and thought, "How am I supposed to respond to that?"

Fortunately, An Kang had always been a talkative person. Without waiting for Lin Fei to reply, he continued, "Xiao Fei, think about it again, don't be a forensic doctor! You have a teaching certificate, why don't you just become a teacher with me? It's better than dealing with dead bodies all day!"

"Unlucky?" Lin Fei pointed at An Kang and said unhappily, "You're a teacher, how can you say such superstitious things? Do you deserve the title of teacher?"

Seeing that Lin Fei was not listening, An Kang gave up and sighed, "Forget it! Anyway, you're not allowed in the kitchen from now on!"

"Why?" he asked.

"Because just thinking about you cooking with hands that have dissected bodies makes me... nauseous! How can I eat anything?" An Kang made a face as if he was about to vomit.

This left Lin Fei standing there, at a loss for words.

"Isn't that strange?" An Kang said, shaking his head.

Strange... indeed, it was strange! After all, Lin Fei had majored in journalism in college, and according to An Kang, he was destined to enter the entertainment industry. Now, just out of school, he hadn't even stepped into his career and had ended up in the world of the dead.

This was all because he was desperately short of money. He had submitted his resume to a certain website, and by chance, it was forwarded to the North District Police Station's judicial department. They then notified him to report to the North District Police Station on March 13th. To prevent Lin Fei from being scammed, An Kang even called the North District Police Station to confirm, and it turned out they had indeed hired Lin Fei!

"I find it strange too. Why would the North District Police Station hire a journalism student as an intern forensic doctor? Are they all crazy?" An Kang said, "This is completely unrelated to your major!"

"Indeed, it is unrelated..."

Lin Fei recalled the strange way the North District Police Station had asked for his exact date of birth, even the hour and minute, and then informed him, "The internship is for three days. If you pass, you'll be hired permanently after three days."

And the salary was incredibly high! A month's salary was enough to cover his and An Kang's rent for half a year! How could Lin Fei, who was desperately short of money, not be tempted?

But the strange thing was, the normal internship period for a forensic doctor was six months, but they had told him it was only three days. Were the people at the North District Police Station really crazy? He didn't know and didn't want to investigate further. After all, no one could resist money, and no unemployed college graduate would turn down a high-paying, seemingly easy job!

This good fortune came too quickly, too suddenly, making it hard to accept...

Fortunately, Lin Fei wasn't the type to overthink things. He didn't care about these strange reasons. He was just glad to have a decent job, a government job! It sounded so respectable! Even though he was still in the internship stage, the thought of a three-day internship that would pass in a blink made him feel a bit excited.

But An Kang warned him ominously, "Be careful... what if they lock you in a morgue for three days and make you spend time with dead bodies... then you won't be so happy!"

"They wouldn't be that crazy, right? After all, it's a government department!" Lin Fei said, though he was a bit uneasy, "Even if they do... I'll do it as long as they pay me!"

"You're selling your principles for money!"

"As long as they pay, I'll sell my soul!"

"Can you be any more shameless?"

An Kang was thoroughly defeated by Lin Fei's "money is everything" mentality. He could only glare at Lin Fei during breakfast, expressing his disdain for Lin Fei's "sell your soul for money" behavior!

...

"Ah! This might be the last breakfast you make for me!"

But after eating the apology breakfast Lin Fei had made, An Kang still couldn't help but sigh.

After hearing An Kang's last complaint, Lin Fei began to prepare to report to the North District Police Station.

Because it was still snowing, the roads were slippery with both snow and water. He didn't dare walk too fast. He left the apartment he shared with An Kang, being very careful not to fall and get dirty on his first day of work, as it would certainly leave a bad impression on his superiors. His slow pace almost made him miss the early bus to the North District Police Station.

To save money, they lived in the southern suburbs, far from the North District. Missing the bus would mean a long wait, and Lin Fei couldn't afford to be late on his first day, let alone for such a rare opportunity!

At the bus stop, he joined a group of elderly women who had already boarded the bus.

In such heavy snow, these women were still able to get up early and catch the bus. Lin Fei immediately thought they were probably heading to the Dragon King Temple in the northern suburbs. An Kang had told him that the Dragon King Temple was very effective, and people would go there to pray and make offerings, especially on the second day of the second lunar month, when people from other provinces would travel long distances to buy high-quality incense.

Looking at the situation, these women were probably going to the Dragon King Temple to pray on the second day of the second lunar month...

He looked up and saw an elderly woman had already grabbed the handrail next to him, swaying slightly.

He stood up and moved to the side, helping the woman to his seat, saying, "Ma'am, take your time!"

The woman, being impatient, was a bit excited when she saw someone give up their seat. She quickly sat down, as if afraid someone else would take it. Once she was settled, Lin Fei stood by the handrail.

"Your accent isn't local, right?"

The woman, now comfortably seated, felt at ease and looked at Lin Fei with interest.

Elderly people often like to chat, even with strangers, reminding Lin Fei of the old lady in his hometown who would always chat with him whenever they met.

"Yes!" he replied, "I'm from Xiucheng!"

"Here to work?"

"Yes!" Lin Fei nodded.

"Your job?"

"Forensic doctor, I'm starting my internship at the North District Police Station today!" He answered naturally, but quickly noticed that the people around him were looking at him with strange expressions.

The feeling of being stared at by a group of people, making his skin crawl, made Lin Fei immediately recall...

He remembered An Kang and the things he had said. Could it be true that the job of a forensic doctor was indeed a bit strange?

Sure enough, after hearing Lin Fei's answer, even the enthusiastic woman lost interest in chatting with him. Lin Fei also noticed that she subtly moved away from him, as if trying to keep her distance.

Lin Fei sighed, feeling a bit uncomfortable.

The bus passed the North District Police Station, and he got off, almost as if he was escaping!

He couldn't stand the dozens of eyes of all ages and sizes scanning him, making him feel like a naked madman.

Thinking about it, the people on the bus were mostly elderly, so it was no wonder they had a bias against forensic doctors! For the younger generation, being a forensic doctor was a respectable job. But in the eyes of the older generation, dealing with dead bodies every day was considered unlucky and damaging to one's health! Even Lin Fei's mother had initially been very opposed to this profession, saying it brought bad luck and shortened one's lifespan!

To resolve this, his father, who was not superstitious, had gone to the temple and spent a lot of money to get a divination. The divination said that Lin Fei was naturally suited to be a forensic doctor and would become a famous person like Song Ci in the Song Dynasty. This made his father, grandfather, and even his mother believe in it...

With no more family opposition, Lin Fei had passed the first hurdle...

...

A forensic doctor, also known as a coroner or medical examiner. Although there are significant differences, one thing is common: many people, especially the older generation, do not accept this profession!

According to ancient texts, the job of a coroner was done by the lowest of the low.

Given the feudal mindset of the time, this was understandable. But now, in the 21st century, to still face such prejudice, Lin Fei found it strange.

But when he remembered the strange incident An Kang had told him about the North District Police Station, he understood why the women on the bus had such a strong reaction to him!

...

"You don't know, right?" An Kang had deliberately created a spooky atmosphere, speaking in a low, eerie voice, "The North District Police Station... hasn't hired a new forensic doctor in ten years..."

"Why?"

"Because ten years ago, something strange happened at the North District Police Station!" An Kang continued in his eerie tone, "In one night, most of the people in the station died suddenly. The most unusual thing... is that the bodies of the three forensic doctors who died that night have never been found... So, later... no one dared to be a forensic doctor at the North District Police Station! Almost everyone in the city knows about this."

Thinking about this...

When Lin Fei looked up at the gate of the North District Police Station, he suddenly felt that if a cold wind blew, it would make the place even more desolate and terrifying.

Sure enough, a cold wind came, blowing him directly into the reception area of the police station.

The office door was wide open, and at the desk sat a young police officer who looked about four or five years older than Lin Fei. When Lin Fei entered, the officer was dozing off at his desk.

Lin Fei gently knocked on the door, and when the officer opened his eyes, he quickly said, "I'm here to report for duty!"

"Which department?" the officer asked, rubbing his sleepy eyes.

"Forensic... doctor!" Lin Fei hesitated, unsure which department a forensic doctor belonged to, so he asked, "Forensic... doctor... which department is that?"

When the officer heard "forensic doctor," he suddenly sat up straight and looked at Lin Fei with a strange expression.

This confirmed Lin Fei's suspicion that the North District Police Station, especially the forensic department, was very strange!

After a moment, the officer asked, "Are you Lin Fei?"

"Yes... do you know me?" Lin Fei was surprised when the officer called his name: "Damn! I shouldn't have a criminal record, right?"

The officer looked at him as if he were a suspect, then pulled out a file from his desk and opened it. Lin Fei glanced at the contents and saw that it was all his personal information. The government was thorough, even listing all his illnesses and romantic relationships in detail!

After carefully verifying Lin Fei's identity, the officer asked, "Can you cook?"

"Ah?" Lin Fei was completely taken aback, thinking, "Do forensic doctors need to know how to cook?"

He hesitated and said, "I can manage!"

The officer stood up and said, "Follow me!"

"Where are we going?"

"The cafeteria!"

"The cafeteria?"

"Our rule is that any new forensic doctor has to work in the cafeteria for the first three days!" The officer answered smoothly, as if he had said this many times before.

"What the hell? How can there be such a rule?" Lin Fei almost couldn't believe it, that a government department would have such a ridiculous rule.

"It's a rule from the top! I'm just following it! If you have any questions, ask your supervisor after three days!"

...