Chapter 509: Han Team Can Do Autopsies Too?

The discovered corpse was inside a bridge pier of the big bridge, and the officers parked the car at a spot at the bridgehead that didn't get in the way.

The remaining stretch of road was inaccessible by vehicle, so they had to walk the rest.

After the police car stopped, Li Chen got out holding a lunchbox, and went to Wang Dachuan, who was sitting in another police car.

"Do you want the bento? It was made by Han Fei's daughter, it's delicious, and she saved it especially for you."

"Thanks, Brother Li. You're always so kind to me." Wang Dachuan had only eaten a peach at noon and hadn't even had time for a meal before being dispatched, so when he saw the exquisitely prepared bento before him, his appetite surged instantly.

"You're welcome, eat quickly; you'll work better after finishing." Li Chen patted Wang Dachuan's shoulder twice, then pretended nothing was amiss and turned to walk away briskly.

A few seconds later.

"Pfft… pfft! What the heck is this? Li Chen, did you add extra salt inside?! Don't run, come back…"

The only response was Li Chen's laughter.

Fortunately, Han Fei stepped in in time, called an end to the farce, and also retrieved the bento.

After all that commotion, the bento was almost finished, leaving only a tiny bit—at least nothing was wasted.

Han Fei poured the remaining scraps into the trash can, then tossed the lunchbox back into the car.

…

The reporting citizen had been waiting here early for the officers' arrival; under their guidance, the group descended the steps to the bridge underside.

"Comrade police, it's that— I found the bones inside that bridge column."

Following the reporter's pointing finger, everyone saw the corpse embedded in the bridge pier.

"How did you discover this?"

"I… I wanted to bring my girlfriend here for some excitement…" the man stammered.

As the person who reported the corpse, the police conducted a routine interrogation, which was merely a brief questioning; after a few simple questions, they released the reporter.

After the reporter left, the officers stepped forward a few paces and leaned in to examine the pier near the riverbank.

The other piers were intact; only this riverbank pier had a portion of its outer cement shell peeled away, exposing the white bones hidden inside.

Only this pier was eroded by water, likely because a corpse was concealed within, weakening its strength and causing damage from the river flow.

"Twenty-four years," Han Fei said, pinching his chin. "The victim's time of death should be more than twenty-four years ago."

Hearing Han Fei say that, the officers couldn't help but glance at him.

"Han Team can do autopsies too?"

Han Fei shook his head and explained.

"I can't, how would I know? I only know the bridge's construction date. It was built twenty-four years ago. My family lives nearby, and on the day the bridge was completed I had just entered middle school, so I remember it clearly. The corpse was buried in the pier, so it must have died during the bridge's construction."

After Han Fei finished explaining, the officers nodded.

No wonder Han Fei could state the victim's time of death.

Xu Mo also stepped forward to look at the corpse embedded in the pier.

"Male, about 1.74 meters tall, age roughly forty to forty‑five, time of death matches what Han Team said—at least twenty‑to‑thirty years ago. This is an old cold case; it'll be hard to investigate."

Old cold cases are often extremely difficult to solve.

Especially since the victim died over twenty years ago, making it even harder; the case spans such a long period that some of the current officers weren't even born when the victim died.

Nevertheless, no matter how hard the case is, it still must be investigated; difficulty is no excuse to give up.

Han Fei scratched his head.

"Start by investigating the people who built this bridge—look for relevant documents and see who the contractor was."

"Also check the missing persons records that fit the criteria at that time."

"Team Leader Xu, you mentioned before that DNA in bones can be preserved for a long time; can DNA still be extracted from this corpse?"

Han Fei thought that if they could identify a few missing persons from that year who matched the criteria, the police could directly contact their children for DNA comparison to confirm the victim's identity.

Xu Mo shook his head: "It's too harsh; the preservation conditions are terrible, but we can take it back for the forensic doctor to try."

More than twenty years have passed, and the scene offers almost no help for the investigation.

Even the corpse in the pier is of little use.

Although bone DNA can last a long time, it requires a relatively perfect preservation environment; we don't know how long this skeleton has been exposed to air and water, so the DNA is likely no longer detectable.

With no useful clues at the scene, the officers took a few simple photos, removed the corpse that was about to detach from the pier, and then brought it back to the Police Station for forensic examination.

…

Police Station.

While the forensic doctor was busy trying to extract DNA from the bones, the other officers were not idle.

They located the bridge's contractor.

"Han Team, Team Leader Xu, we found it—the bridge was built by Fu Xin Construction Company."

"Fu Xin Construction Company… Let's go ask them." Han Fei perked up instantly.

After the query results came in, Han Fei immediately led the officers out of the Police Station again, heading to Fu Xin Construction Company.

Finding the construction firm is only the first step; the crucial task is to locate the workers who participated in the bridge's construction, especially the concrete‑pouring workers.

The corpse must have been placed in the pier during the concrete pour; the workers pouring the cement should have noticed it at the time.

Of course, the construction company is easy to find, but tracking down the workers from back then is not.

After all, more than twenty years have passed; those workers may have long since retired.

…

Half an hour later, the officers arrived at the destination.

Fu Xin Construction Company.

At the reception desk, Han Fei produced his Police Badge and said to the staff,

"We are police, here to investigate a case; please ask your manager to come out, we need to speak with them."