Inspector Sung Wei surveyed the scene. Noting the blood splatter on the stone.

The location of the machete, specifically its distance from the body. How the body lay

on its side. The distance from the walls. The bloody footprints. He scratched the stubble

on his chin, rolled up the sleeves on his civil servant coat, and pulled an oversized pair

of chopsticks out of his bag. He squatted down next to the corpse. Dark eyes taking in

all the details revealed by the magical lanterns that were busy turning the dark alleyway

into noon.

Sung Wei used the chopsticks to manipulate the man's clothing. It seemed to

have been altered at some point after the man had hit the ground. There. Blood streaks

staind the garment in a very specific smear. A sword would have left two straight

smears with an empty grove separating them. This might have been an odd shaped

club, but why all the blood then? No, it honestly looks more like someone wiped off their

arm.

"Taro!" Sung Wei called.

"Yes Puno?" answered a wiry human carrying one of the lanterns.

"Help me get his robe off."

The two men worked carefully, trying to remove the dead man's outer garment

without disrupting the rest of the crime scene. Sung Wei used the chopsticks to

delicately pull back the victim's shirt, exposing the hole just under his ribcage. Taro

covered his face in a feeble attempt to escape the smell.

"Why is the smell so bad Taro?" Sung Wei asked conversationally while frowning

at the hole. It was more of a tear than a cut.

"Excuse me Puno?"

"The smell. Why is it this bad?"

"Um, because the sack containing the abdominal organs has been ruptured?"

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Taro asked.

Sung Wei nodded, "That is correct. Why do you sound so unsure?"

The young man hesitated. "It's the first time I've smelt it Puno."

"Well now you know the scent. Ran Li. Come over here."

"Yes Inspector?"

Sung Wei's ageing knees cracked audibly as he stood up. "Crack his chest."

"Here?" the examiner protested.

"Yes here. What can you tell me about how he died? It wasn't blood loss. He

wasn't simply stabbed."

"Hmm, fine."

This was Sung Wei's show, so the examiner did as told regardless of his opinions

on where to and where not to perform an autopsy. The Inspector took a few steps back

and looked over the scene again. His gaze shifted over to the machete laying some

distance away. He positioned himself in a ready stance and held his right hand as if

holding a knife. He took a large step forward and looked down at the body. No. That

isn't right. The information said it was a woman. He took a step back. Then forward

again. A large step for someone shorter than himself. He threw his left arm up and

stabbed forward with the right. Then he jerked his right hand down.

Sung Wei looked back over at the idle machete. Yes. He looked at the ground

under his right hand. No blood splatter. This isn't right. He tried the whole maneuver

over again. This time he slowly pulled his right hand back. That could be it.

"Inspector?" Ran Li asked.

Sung Wei returned his attention to the examiner. "Did you find out how he died?"

"Ye-yes."

The Inspector looked down at the victim's open chest cavity and frowned. "Taro?"

he asked in a solemn tone.

"Yes Puno?"

"Are you aware of any martial artists that can jab into a man's flesh?"

"Ah, yes. There are accounts of that. Why?"

"In any of those accounts, did they tear out a man's heart?"

"N-no Puno."

"They said it was an Oni-Kai woman, yes?"

"Yes Puno."

"Please send a message to Saito Matsumoto at the Temple of the Six Tailed Fox.

Tell him we may have an Aswang on the loose."

"Y-yes Puno."

Sung Wei turned to face Taro who was still standing there like a moron. "Taro?"

"Yes Puno?"

"Go now."

"Oh, yes Puno." Taro bowed. "My apologies Puno."