The Forensic Doctor Better Than a Detective

Chapter 863 - 453: This Is an Important Crime Marker (Part 2)

Soon, after the procedures were completed, the three of them headed straight to the forensic examination room.At the entrance of the examination room, three young assistants in white coats were already waiting silently.

As soon as they got out of the car, the three assistants quickly approached and greeted in unison, "Hello, Director Hou, Mr. Qin, Mr. Jiang."

Director Hou glanced at the three of them, noticing they were unfamiliar faces, and a hint of inquiry flashed across his expression.

Seeing this, Qin Feng immediately stepped forward and introduced with a smile, "Director Hou, Mr. Jiang, these three are the new forensic recruits we brought in last month at the Qinzhou City Bureau—Li Ming, Zhao Xiaoya, and Chen Yuan, all top students who just graduated this year from the university’s forensic medicine program."

"Haha, young and promising, the younger generation is indeed formidable!"

Director Hou said with a loud laugh, his tone full of commendation.

He then turned slightly, casting his gaze upon Jiang An, who had remained silent all along, and continued, "Speaking of which, your Mr. Jiang is a rare role model in our system—from starting as a grassroots forensic expert to step by step becoming today’s captain of the criminal investigation team. This path has not been easy and is rarely seen."

"You should learn and seek guidance from him in the future."

The three young forensic assistants nodded in unison, responding, "We’ve heard of Mr. Jiang’s reputation long ago and finally get to meet him in person today!"

"Back in school during lessons, our professor often used classic cases like ’Binhai Serial Case’ and ’Old Factory Street Mystery Corpse’ investigated by Mr. Jiang for class analysis."

"Each time we listened, we found it particularly impressive and incredibly inspiring."

"It’s truly our great honor to meet Mr. Jiang in person today and have the chance to learn from you."

Jiang An smiled slightly, "Ah, don’t hold me in such high regard."

"Forensics, at its core, is a rigorous scientific discipline that emphasizes seeking truth from facts and meticulous precision."

"I’ve merely been exposed to this field a few years earlier than you and have seen a few more scenes."

"You are young, with a solid foundation and active minds. As long as you are willing to delve in and endure solitude while staying true to your original aspirations, your achievements on this path will certainly far exceed mine."

After a brief exchange of pleasantries, the three of them entered the solemn atmosphere of the forensic examination room one by one.

They donned full protective gear—protective suits, gloves, masks, and shoe covers.

Subsequently, they pushed open the heavy door of the examination area and entered the dissection room numbered "1."

The interior lighting was cold, and on the central stainless-steel examination table, a female corpse lay silently.

A tag was tied around her wrist, clearly bearing the name "Wang Xiu."

The body was in a state of advanced rigor mortis, with joints unbendable, and a thin layer of frost congealed on parts of the skin, evidence left by long-term freezing.

The three forensic assistants approached slowly, with no one speaking, only the oppressive sound of breathing in the air.

At this moment, Mr. Qin stepped forward, his voice low and restrained, "Mr. Jiang, the body is currently in a deep-frozen state with a high degree of stiffness. Do you think... we should come back later when it has naturally warmed up and softened a bit? The examination conditions might be more optimal then."

Jiang An gently shook his head, his tone calm but firm, "No need for now."

"Our goal today is not to conduct a systematic dissection but to focus on the external examination—yes, limited to external characteristics."

"Isn’t forensic dissection about opening up the body? What can be seen just by looking at the surface?"

Mr. Qin had a fleeting doubt but didn’t voice it, simply nodding silently, continuing to watch Jiang An and waiting for his next instructions.

Director Hou, standing aside, was likewise filled with mixed emotions.

He had long heard of Jiang An’s outstanding abilities in forensic identification and on-site reasoning, particularly skilled in securing critical evidence from the body surface.

Today, he could finally be on site and closely observe Jiang An’s working approach. His heart was filled with anticipation, along with a tinge of scrutinizing curiosity.

For a moment, the entire examination room’s attention was focused on Jiang An.

He donned gloves and leaned close to the body.

He gently opened the deceased’s lips to expose the teeth, examining every detail with the precision of a scanner, then slowly moved down along the neck, not missing a single inch of skin marks.

Although four years had passed, the neck injuries on the body were still clearly discernible.

On the left side of the neck, at least six marks of varying depth were visible, etched on the pale skin like brands.

In contrast, the marks on the right side of the neck were noticeably fewer, with only three similar press marks.

This asymmetric distribution feature made Jiang An suddenly halt his document review, looking up and asking in a deep voice, "Mr. Qin, is the forensic expert who was responsible for examining this body still with the team?"

"He is, indeed," Mr. Qin nodded slightly, "but he’s currently attending professional training out of town."

Jiang An continued, "I have thoroughly reviewed the autopsy report he presented at the time and found that his description of the neck injuries was indeed lacking in detail."

"However, based on the marks we’ve observed so far, the deceased’s left neck has no fewer than six pressure marks, and the right has no fewer than three."

"Judging by the form, these marks seem to be the result of the perpetrator’s fingernails and pads working together."

As soon as he finished speaking, Mr. Qin added, "During the dissection back then, our forensic expert also discovered a critical piece of evidence—the deceased’s hyoid bone was noticeably fractured."

"This finding, combined with the external neck injury marks, made us even more certain that the cause of death was mechanical asphyxiation due to sustained compression of the neck."