Dmitry frowned, and he slowly opened his eyes.

"Do you remember it all?" Yuan Bin beside him asked.

Dmitry was expressionless and his eyes glazed: "It's been ten years, and I've almost forgotten about it." But just now, I remembered it all again. ”

He suddenly turned his head and looked directly at Yuan Bin: "You haven't told me yet, why did you mention this matter?" We made a promise never to mention it! ”

Yuan Bin looked into his eyes: "Do you know what day it is?" ”

Dmitry thought for a moment and said, "July 14th." ”

Yuan Bin stared at him and did not speak.

Dmitry was stunned for a few seconds, then suddenly took a deep breath: "Oh my God......"

"Do you remember? I knew that you, like me, would never forget that day. ”

Dmitry thought for a moment: "However, I remember that the day of the accident, that is, the day Teacher Shan died, was July 13th. ”

"That's right, it's July 13th."

"So what? What exactly are you trying to say? ”

"Remember when I told you I dissected a drowned corpse last night?"

Dmide subconsciously leaned back, and he felt a chill down his spine: "Is it ...... You mean......"

"Listen to me, at four o'clock in the morning this morning, a colleague from the Public Security Bureau called my house and said that a drowning body had been found, and asked me to rush over immediately to do a death evaluation...... I didn't think anything was out of the ordinary—I had handled countless drowning bodies in the course of my work. So, I dissected the body as usual. ”

Yuan Bin took a sip of water and continued: "As a result, I identified the time of death of this corpse as a few hours ago, to be precise, around ten o'clock in the evening of July 13, so I picked up my pen and prepared to write the time of death on the identification sheet. ”

"Suddenly, I felt like I had been struck by an electric current, and my whole body froze. It dawned on me: the same thing happened on July 13th, ten years ago! ”

"My heart was beating wildly, and I immediately called my colleague who brought the body. I asked him where the body was found, and it turned out to-"

He stopped, looking at Dmide with wide eyes.

"Could it be ......?" Mmide speculated nervously.

"It was found in that waterhole in Nanxiang!"

Dmide's mouth opened wide, and he felt creepy.

"The colleague also told me more things: the body was found at two o'clock in the morning by a drunken drunkard. That person originally wanted to borrow the water from the pool to wash his face, but he didn't expect to see a floating corpse in the pool! The drunkard was scared half to death and immediately called the police...... When the police arrived, they recovered the body — they found that the body of the drowning man had been scratched by a stone, presumably from the fact that he had rolled down the hillside. ”

"That corpse ......"

"Wait, hear me out. The focus is on the following. A colleague from the police station inadvertently told me some important information: after a police investigation, it was found that the body was not a native of Nanxiang at all. How could a foreigner drown in a foreign land inexplicably? The police are beginning to feel that this is most likely not a simple drowning case, but a murder case! ”

"Didn't you identify the body? Is that person ......?"

"You want to ask, is it Teacher Shan? That's my first reaction. But we know that this is simply impossible - Teacher Shan died ten years ago, and even if his body is found, I am afraid that only a skeleton remains. ”

"Assuming Teacher Shan hadn't died at the time—"

"Alright, Dmide, don't lie to yourself. We're not kids anymore. ”

"Do you recognize who that body is?"

Yuan Bin shook his head: "My face was swelled, and I was scratched by a stone, so I couldn't recognize who it was - but I was sure that it wasn't Teacher Shan." ”

Dmitry pondered for a moment: "So, this case has nothing to do with what happened ten years ago?" It just happened to be the same day in time? ”

Yuan Bin exclaimed: "Med! Can't you figure it out? You don't realize what this means to us? ”

Dmitry looked at him, feeling his head go numb.

"You know what? Cases that occur in the same place will be put together when the police are sorting out the files. Think about it – what does it mean when the police find out that a disappearance from a decade ago and a murder a decade later happened on the same day? ”

"You're saying it's possible that the police thought it was the same person who did it?" Dmitry somewhat understood.

"Exactly! The incident that was supposed to be ten years ago has been characterized as an ordinary disappearance, and it is almost forgotten by the police. But now that this has happened, the police may think that the case from ten years ago may be of the same nature as this case, and it is a murder! And they may also develop rich associations, thinking that there is a repeat offender hidden in Nanxiang, and the day of 'July 13' has a special meaning for him. ”

Dmide gasped: "If that's the case, then it's troublesome, as long as the police start an investigation, it is possible to find out that the person who was most closely related to Teacher Shan at that time was the four of us......"

"If the investigation really comes to us, think about what the consequences will be if only one of the four of us shows a flaw, or if the police use a polygraph!"

Med frowned and fell on the back of the couch: "It's been ten years...... It's not over yet? ”

He slammed his fist into his thigh: "Damn! How could such a coincidence occur? It happened on July 13th! ”

At this time, Yuan Bin suddenly looked at Mei with a strange gaze.

"Dmitry, I don't understand." He said, "Are you dizzy, or are you really not as smart as you used to be?" ”

"What do you mean?"

"This case was handled by our bureau, and I was responsible for the autopsy and identification - to be clear, the time of his death was in my hands." Yuan Bin whispered.

"What, you want to ...... Tampering with the time of his death? Dmitry was taken aback, "Have you considered the consequences, if someone finds out......"

Yuan Bin waved his hand: "I know the rules of our bureau, after a forensic doctor has the results of a forensic examination, there is no reason for another forensic doctor to do a second evaluation." Moreover, the body could not be left in the hospital forever and examined repeatedly. In two or three days, if the family of the deceased is not found, the body will be sent to the crematorium – once burned, there will be no further proof of death. ”

Dmitry thought for a moment and said, "What exactly do you want to do?" ”

"The real time of his death was 10 p.m. on July 13, and what I wrote in the autopsy report was 12:30 a.m. on July 14. That is, to postpone his death by two and a half hours, avoiding the number 'July 13'. ”

"Wait, you mean, you've already done that?"

Yuan Bin shrugged: "Do you think that an autopsy report will have to wait a few days before it is handed in?" ”

Dmitry lowered his head, thoughtful: "Even if you do this, you will only delay the time of his death by one day, can you really avoid suspicion?" ”

"It's only one day away, but it's a completely different nature." Yuan Bin said. He sighed, "Besides, there is only so much I can do, whether it is useful or not depends on the will of God." ”

Dmitry looked at him: "You are still the same as before, always loving to believe in providence. ”

They were silent for a moment, their eyes staring at the ceiling.

"Actually, have you ever thought about it." Dmitry broke the silence, "We were all children at the time, and it was an accident – even if it turns out that we were responsible for this case? I am not criminally responsible. ”

Yuan Bin let out a long sigh: "Of course I know. In fact, if we had called the police immediately after this incident had occurred and taken the initiative to take the blame, we would not have been held criminally responsible. But now, ten years later, the nature of things is different. ”

"How?"

"What would the police think if they now found out that the four of us were responsible for this incident ten years ago? If this incident was really just an unintentional joke and an accident, then why did a few of us hide this secret from anyone at that time? - That would be the policeman's first thought. How will we explain it when the time comes? ”

"Are you afraid that the police will think that a few of us have deliberately murdered Teacher Shan? How is this possible, we have no motive for the crime! ”

"The problem is that after all these years, God knows what happened at that time! The police don't necessarily believe what we say. ”

"And, have you ever thought about it." Yuan Bin continued, "Even if we don't have to bear criminal responsibility, once the true situation of this matter is exposed. What will our relatives and friends think of us-'These people killed their teachers because of a boring joke, but they didn't dare to stand up and tell the truth, and let their teachers die unjustly!' We will be forever condemned by public opinion and morality! ”

Dmitry put his hand on his forehead and let out a slow breath.

"Dmide, we were wrong at the beginning, and now we have to be wrong to the end." Yuan Bin stood up, "There is no other choice. ”

Dmitry looked up at him, "You're leaving?" ”

Yuan Bin nodded: "I came here just to tell you about it." At the same time, to confide in you. You know, I can't face these things alone. ”

Dmitry also stood up: "I've always been a little worried about your tampering with the time of death. Do you think you can really succeed? ”

"I've done it, and there's no room for regret." Yuan Bin paused, "I think, there should be no problem, right?" ”

"I hope so."

Yuan Bin walked to the door, turned back to Dmitry and said, "If this matter is successful, I will inform you immediately." ”

Then he opened the door, walked out into the street, and disappeared.