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墨書 Inktalez
If anyone is interested, they can search online for a rare incident of "self-explosion of the skull" that occurred in a city in Hubei in 2000. One evening, a family was happily watching television when suddenly there was a loud bang. Nineteen-year-old Sun collapsed in his chair, a large gash appearing on the side of his head, with brain tissue spilling out and emitting steam. People were bewildered by this event, and there was no consensus on what had happened. Today, I will recount this strange occurrence, as I later participated in the investigation.
Not long after the Azure Dragon Transformation, I had run out of the little savings I had accumulated from my first job due to several unfortunate incidents. I didn’t dare go out much, especially after the broken glass incident, which led to my parents expressing their discontent. Following their "suggestions," I began an internship in the emergency department of the hospital where my father worked. I didn’t resist too much; although I had switched to administrative work, I felt too emotional and soft-hearted to be suited for this field. With the idea of keeping a backup plan for myself, I hoped to learn as much as possible. (Ten years later, it proved that my judgment back then was correct; unfortunately, I never found time to take the licensing exam. This situation teaches us that when you think of something, you should act on it; otherwise, the longer you wait, the less likely you are to do it.)
During my internship in the emergency department, my father had already made arrangements for me. My job was simply to clock in and out on time and learn from an experienced attending physician while assisting him. After all, my exposure to cases in the Medical Unit during my military service was limited and narrow. In a large hospital, patients came and went continuously, providing ample learning opportunities.
That evening, after having noodles at the Department, I arrived a bit late. As soon as I walked in, I heard people discussing various topics—some found it terrifying, others claimed such an incident had never occurred before; some speculated it might be murder, while others absurdly suggested it could be a curse. Curiously, I pulled aside a nurse to ask what everyone was talking about. With a mysterious expression, she told me that someone had come in for treatment because their family insisted on bringing a deceased patient to the hospital for examination. Apparently, he had died from an explosion of his head while watching television at home—a very peculiar way to die.
"Self-explosion." That was my first thought. Could such a thing really happen? During my five years at Medical University, I had never heard any teacher mention it. However, there were many cases of brain tumors rupturing or blood vessels bursting; what kind of pressure could cause a head to explode? Suddenly, I was eager to know the answer. If possible, I truly wished to see the Autopsy Report. Before enlisting, I had prepared myself for becoming a forensic doctor; what kind of situation could this be? With these thoughts swirling in my mind, I resumed my internship.
As we neared closing time that night, I received a call from my cousin. "Cousin! It's me! Are you busy?"
"Not really; I'm about to finish up and head home."
"I heard you're on leave and wanted to come see you. What shift are you working?"
"Oh, Uncle got me this job; I'm interning in the emergency department."
"I see! Cousin has something to discuss with you when I come over tonight."
"What is it? You should join us for dinner." My cousin was currently a sophomore and home for summer vacation; what could he possibly want from us?
My mother handled all the family meals. When I returned home and saw she was already there, I greeted her and mentioned that my cousin would be coming over so she should prepare more dishes. To my surprise, before dinner was ready, my cousin knocked on our door. He peeked around as he entered, prompting me to ask, "What are you looking for? Acting all sneaky."
"Is Uncle around?"
"He's in the living room watching the news."
"I'll go check on him," he said hurriedly as he walked toward the living room. Dad already knew that my cousin was coming over to visit, thinking he was here to play with me, so he greeted him and continued watching the news. Unexpectedly, Cousin sidled up to him, hesitatingly saying, "Uncle, um, there's something I need your help with."
"Is it about seeing a doctor? Which classmate or friend of yours is it?" Dad asked.
"No, it's not that. It's about a classmate of mine; his brother died, and he suspects it was murder. He wants a comprehensive examination done, but the police department doesn't have advanced equipment right now. He wants to borrow the relevant equipment from the hospital, and it would be best if there were experts to help figure out what happened. You're the vice president in charge of medical affairs; can you help with this?"
Dad took off his glasses and looked at him. "That's not within our doctors' responsibilities. I'm afraid I can't let the hospital's experts do that."
Cousin seemed a bit anxious now. "Uncle, right now our hospital is the only one capable of doing a comprehensive examination. This situation is very suspicious; we all want to understand what happened."
I walked over and casually asked, "What’s suspicious?"
"Ah, cousin, I don't know if you've seen the news. There was a boy whose head exploded; that's my friend's brother." He added quickly, "His biological brother."
"Oh!" Dad and I exclaimed in unison.
"I heard about this today too. Dad, is that even possible?"
Dad hesitated for a moment before replying, "This is the first I've heard of your situation today; someone just informed me. Theoretically speaking, it is possible because a person's cranial pressure can indeed cause an explosion under certain conditions. However, this pressure must increase sharply in a short period and then concentrate on one area. To be honest, I've never seen such a case and can't imagine it."
"Exactly! Uncle, look, if the forensic expert borrows our equipment for an autopsy, you could let relevant experts join in to help my friend clarify the situation. He’s always been uneasy and suspicious."
"I see." Dad thought for a moment before responding slowly, "There are two issues: First, this situation is quite special; you need to ensure that the family members agree to this since the deceased deserves respect. Second, does the police department need our assistance and involvement? We’re not clear on the situation—if it hasn't been classified as a criminal case, will they allow an autopsy? If your friend wants this done on his own accord, it might not work out. We should proceed cautiously. Have your friend discuss it with his family first and inform the authorities. If the police agree and find it necessary, they can issue an official letter. I can help arrange for experts from Neurosurgery and Neurology to take a look; I'm sure they would also want to understand this unusual cause of death. What do you think?"
"Hey, Uncle, thank you so much! I'll call him right away. Cousin, can I borrow your landline?" Cousin excitedly ran off to make the call.
"Dad, if they really come here for an examination, can I go along to see?" I cautiously interjected.
"What are you doing? You're just a junior expert; do you really have the qualifications to go? Who do you think you are? Young man, why can't you just stay calm and not always want to join in the excitement?" I was left speechless.
The two of us sat silently watching television, the atmosphere starkly contrasting with my cousin, who was excitedly on the phone nearby.
After a while, Dad said slowly, "You can't go, but I can bring back the report for you to see afterward."
"Hey, Dad, thanks!" I immediately put on a playful grin.
Just then, while I was still in the emergency room for my internship, the sound of sirens suddenly pierced through the air. It must be the forensic team and police arriving. I looked out the window and saw two police cars pull up. A few officers and a forensic doctor in a white coat got out of the first car, while several ordinary-looking people followed from the second car, accompanied by a female officer who looked quite sorrowful—probably family members.
As I watched, my cousin suddenly appeared out of nowhere and headed straight for the female officer. Oh? It seemed like they knew each other. I observed them chatting; my cousin appeared to be explaining something to her. After a while, several officers and the forensic doctor went into the hospital. I realized they were heading to the morgue. Looking back at the ordinary folks and the female officer walking toward the emergency room with my cousin, I hurried outside. "Hey, what are you doing here?"
My cousin glanced at the female officer and said, "Bro, this is Jiaqi, my friend."
So she's a woman! No wonder he was so concerned. I chuckled inwardly as I looked at the female officer. She was quite attractive—neat short hair that made her look capable—but her face bore an unmistakable sadness, with red eyes that suggested she had been crying.
I sighed and told my cousin, "I'll find you guys a waiting room. Stay here; we don't know when the report will come out. You can keep her company. Let's order lunch from the hospital cafeteria."
My cousin eagerly agreed. I didn't want to linger any longer; once everything was arranged, I returned to my own tasks. By afternoon, my cousin and that female officer along with their family had left—presumably because they had received some news. The whole time, I couldn't help but wonder what the report would reveal.
When I got home that evening, I started waiting for Dad to return. It wasn't until around eight o'clock that he finally came back. "So what happened?" I asked as I leaned in closer.
"See for yourself," Dad tossed me a copy of the report. I quickly took it back to my room to study it thoroughly.
The report was straightforward and summarized four key points: First, there were no external forces involved, meaning murder was ruled out; second, the wound was roughly circular and resulted from immense internal pressure; third, the deceased had low calcium levels in their bones, making them brittle—especially evident from an old injury on the skull; fourth, the internal structure of the skull and brain appeared normal with no tumors or compressive factors present—it could possibly be due to high-pressure gas causing cranial rupture.
There wasn't much depth to it, I thought. If gas was suspected, where did it come from? How did it accumulate so quickly to create pressure? These questions remained unanswered. I picked up the extension phone and dialed my cousin's home number; he should be back by now.
"Hello? Hey cousin, when did you get back?"
"Ah, I just got back from helping at Jiaqi's place."
"I was just about to ask you. Did they receive the report? What was their reaction?"
"They did receive it, but there wasn't much of a reaction. The police concluded it was an accidental death, and the family accepted that. However, Jiaqi still has some doubts. She has a gut feeling that someone harmed her brother, but he was just an ordinary vocational student. After the investigation, it turned out he didn't have any enemies, and his social connections weren't complicated. Since there was no evidence, she had no choice but to temporarily accept the result."
After teasing Cousin and that female officer for a bit, I hung up the phone, unable to help but reflect on how women tend to rely on intuition. Being a police officer shouldn't work that way; everything should be based on evidence and facts.
With that thought in mind, I opened my computer and began searching for related information online. I discovered that in recent years, due to various bizarre phenomena involving the human body, a new field of study—"Abnormal Human Physiology"—has been gaining increasing attention from physiologists around the world. One of the key topics being explored is "spontaneous human explosion."
I also found out that such cases of cranial explosion are not unique to one location; there had been a similar incident in Australia. One night, a four-year-old accountant named Kevin Nansley suddenly let out a wolf-like scream in his sleep. His wife, Donna, woke up to see him grinding his teeth and convulsing in agony. Then, his head began to swell like a balloon. Terrified, Donna screamed as she witnessed her husband's head explode into pieces right before her eyes. By the time paramedics arrived, Nansley had already passed away, his skull shattered while his body remained intact.
This bizarre incident quickly caught the attention of the global neuroscience community. Experts shared their opinions, among them psychiatrist Harold, who had treated Nansley for years. His perspective held considerable weight; he believed that Nansley had suffered from severe depression and insomnia for many years. Night after night plagued by nightmares, he was in constant pain and often begged doctors for large doses of sleeping pills. When one medication failed, he would insist on switching to another, leading him to overdose on various sleeping pills. The excessive use of these medications can damage brain neurons, and different types of sleeping pills can interfere with brain function in distinct ways. As the toxins from these drugs accumulated in Nansley's brain over time, they reached a critical point where air trapped inside his skull could not escape, resulting in a peculiar "one-way entry." Eventually, this could lead to a "spontaneous explosion" of the skull.
This explanation seemed somewhat plausible as I closed my computer and pondered silently. But who would have known that it would be years later when I stumbled upon another truth behind this matter?
"Headshot Death" concludes here! Stay tuned for the next chapter "Dream Come True," "Love Like the Wind," and "The Work of Chasing the Wind." Tomorrow will bring even more excitement!
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