[{"data":1,"prerenderedAt":-1},["ShallowReactive",2],{"origin-the-nation-s-forensic-medical-examiner":3,"chapter-the-nation-s-forensic-medical-examiner-the-nation-s-forensic-medical-examiner-chapter-139":6},{"origin":4,"title":5},"chinese","The Nation's Forensic Medical Examiner",{"chapter":7,"nextChapterSlug":19,"prevChapterSlug":20,"totalChapters":21,"novelImage":22},{"id":8,"novel_id":9,"title":10,"slug":11,"index":12,"content":13,"wordcount":14,"created_at":15,"updated_at":15,"volume":16,"translator":17,"content_hash":18},2326834,4551,"Chapter 139: Case Closed","the-nation-s-forensic-medical-examiner-chapter-139",139,"\u003Cp>The private car driver who provided the tip was a local who drove to Longde Village to eat pig intestines, pig stomach, and chicken.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>In fact, on that day, most of the cars in the parking lot had come specifically to eat pig intestines, pig stomach, and chicken.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Although there were other roadside stalls and snack vendors nearby, they served only neighborhood customers, and no one drove all the way over just to eat there.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Only this pig intestines, pig stomach, and chicken restaurant had become famous for some reason—people visiting Longli County felt they hadn’t truly come unless they ate here once.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>It was always popular because the portions were large, the flavor was genuinely good, the prices were affordable, parking nearby was easy, and everything worked out well.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>As for the residents who originally parked there, their numbers were few, and most used their cars for commuting.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Hou Le’s team quickly dispatched a squad to the parking lot to survey the scene, collect entry and exit records, and cross-reference them with license plates from surveillance footage.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Jiang Yuan followed the Longli County police dog unit as they tracked the source of the blood smell.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The Longli County police dog unit currently had three dogs—one still in training, a rookie pup.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>One was in its prime, a diligent but lazy dog.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The other was the decorated dog Heizi, a two-time second-class merit recipient, a famous dog with two food bowls, as renowned as Jiang Yuan himself after earning his second-class merit.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>In terms of police dog deployment, Longli County had some recognition within the province.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>They used them well: although Heizi was slightly older and worked fewer hours, a new prime-age dog named Bailing had taken over, and a third-generation dog was already in training—this three-generation continuity of canine expertise was rare in the province.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Today’s mission involved the decorated dog Heizi.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Heizi’s back was straight as a line, his Dalmatian-style pointed ears erect, his head slightly lowered, stepping lightly as he led them swiftly toward the source of the blood smell.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Heizi, who ate 75 yuan worth of food daily, showed no sign of age—he was like a man or woman or LGBTQIAPKDXREW in their forties still fighting on the front lines of nightclubs, eyes gleaming with the stubborn fire of an old warrior refusing to yield.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Wang!\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Heizi barked once, and seven or eight officers rushed forward together.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Jiang Yuan also jogged over—he had to watch out for some overexcited rookie accidentally destroying the scene.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>You don’t need to say it’s impossible—anyone who’s been to enough crime scenes knows there are stupid criminals and plenty of not-so-smart careless cops.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>When they arrived, they saw an open drainage ditch with no obvious bloodstains.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“I suspect the suspect changed his bloody clothes right here,” said Captain Zheng Xiangqian of the Major Case Team, looking up to locate surveillance cameras, then crouching to sniff the ground closely before standing and saying: “He also peed here.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Heizi barked twice, clearly annoyed someone had stolen his spotlight.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Jiang Yuan suddenly understood—without changing his bloody clothes, driving into the county town with blood on him would’ve caused trouble; the parking lot was a perfect place to swap them.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>At this point, a young detective speculated: “He carried extra clothes—could this indicate premeditated murder?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Jiang Yuan glanced at him.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>This guy belonged to the not-so-smart type, yet his eagerness to speak showed he didn’t realize he wasn’t smart.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Premeditated murder? Carried clothes but no weapon?” Zheng Xiangqian replied, head down, shutting down that line of thought.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>This was a matter of investigative direction—he wouldn’t let some naive kid interfere.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>From the current evidence, the likelihood of premeditated murder was extremely low. More fundamentally, the suspect now had a car—why would he premeditate killing an old scavenger?\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>If there was a grudge, he’d use a weapon that could kill instantly. Even if it was just to vent anger through beating, he’d prepare better. Parking in a parking lot? If it were premeditated, that’d be stupid.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Nobody paid much attention to the kid’s comment.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Jiang Yuan put on his mask and, alongside Longli County’s on-site investigators, collected samples from the open ditch.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The ditch smelled foul, but honestly—after digging up a corpse, what was a ditch? Yesterday’s urine had already diluted the odor somewhat.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The only slightly uncomfortable thing was how exposed the work environment was.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The glances from passersby in the parking lot and from the police dog Heizi made him feel a bit awkward.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>After collecting the samples, Jiang Yuan stared hard at Heizi for a while.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>If this were Da Zhuang, and he dared stare back like that, Jiang Yuan would’ve plucked him bald.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“That’s enough.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Jiang Yuan placed the sample box in the car and told Zheng Xiangqian.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Although they might not be used during the investigation phase, these samples could still play a role in prosecution—against stubborn lawyers, some might prove decisive.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Of course, running a DNA test and comparing it to Jiang Yuan’s earlier DNA sample would add another layer of security.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The group arrived excitedly and left disappointed—no bloody clothes, no weapon, not even a crumb of progress.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Fortunately, another team of officers returned with good news.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Not just good news—they had the suspect, the car, and a pile of other miscellaneous physical evidence!\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“So they caught him?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Wu Jun, having woken from a nap, came straight from the guesthouse to the Criminal Investigation Unit.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Jiang Yuan grunted: “He’s being interrogated now—a young man in his twenties.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Wu Jun gave Jiang Yuan a sideways look: “So it’s a crime of passion?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“It’s been inconsistent,” Jiang Yuan shook his head. “I just saw Major Case Team members leave—they’re probably going to gather more evidence.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“What’s left to gather? There’s so much blood on the car—it’s already enough. What about the weapon?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“The weapon and bloody clothes were burned together—apparently a plastic plumbing pipe, PPR hot water pipe, I heard them say. They burned it poorly—the remains were all recovered.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Wu Jun chuckled softly: “This guy’s got some guts. Weapons are always the hardest part. He just didn’t do it professionally—he should’ve practiced more. How did he burn it? Where?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“At a camping site, in a large metal drum,” Jiang Yuan admitted he was equally curious.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Destroying evidence has always tempted the “clever” throughout history.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Some interesting attempts: a knife made of ice, melting after the murder so the weapon vanishes (not a recommendation… don’t try this).\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>A plastic stick has a similar effect, but it’s not direct enough for killing, and burning it produces too much black smoke.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Two officers from the Major Case Team returned quickly with a girl.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The girl was between eighteen and forty-eight, lightly made up, wearing loose pants and a white T-shirt, looking clean. Her high ponytail was slightly messy and playful.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Jiang Yuan and his master exchanged a glance—they knew the interrogation was nearing its end.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>This new girl was likely a witness—or something else.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Jiang Yuan was still guessing when Wu Jun walked straight into the interrogation center to watch the surveillance footage.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Jiang Yuan didn’t follow—he wasn’t eager, and the room was crowded.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Not long after, the girl emerged and left without hesitation.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Much later, Wu Jun came out with a solemn expression.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“What’s this…” Jiang Yuan couldn’t help but feel curious.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Wu Jun sighed, nodded toward the door: “Let’s go smoke outside.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Jiang Yuan swiftly opened a pack of Zhonghua, stepped out, handed one to Wu Jun, and lit it for him.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Wu Jun drew a deep breath, exhaled, inhaled again, then exhaled once more before speaking: “The suspect we caught today—the motive… isn’t what we thought.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Because of the girl?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Yes. After splitting from his friend, the young man saw this girl and approached her, demanding her WeChat. She refused, so he followed her. The scavenger Zhang Hong saw this and intervened.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Wu Jun took another drag, exhaled, then said:\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Zhang Hong stopped the suspect, and the girl slipped away in the chaos. The suspect grew angrier and angrier, chased Zhang Hong to his home, and beat him to death.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Jiang Yuan’s eyelids twitched: “Just for that? Because he was mad?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“What bothers me isn’t just that,” Wu Jun glanced toward the door. “The girl who was harassed didn’t report it. When officers questioned her yesterday, she said nothing.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Jiang Yuan fell silent for several seconds.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The law doesn’t require gratitude.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>If someone refuses to be grateful, the police can’t force them.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Jiang Yuan asked: “How did you find out about her? Did the suspect say?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Yes,” Wu Jun sighed. “Otherwise, the cause of death couldn’t be explained. Neither of them could clarify it.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Jiang Yuan knew he meant the suspect and Zhang Hong.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>It was bullshit. Jiang Yuan kicked the step in front of him—his toe hurt.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The smoke stung his throat, and he coughed.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Wu Jun stared blankly ahead.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>After finishing the cigarette, he crushed it underfoot, patted Jiang Yuan’s arm, and said: “The case is solved—that’s enough. In this world, right and wrong are too tangled to sort out. Just do what we can.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Jiang Yuan replied: “Mm.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Master, let’s go eat pig intestines, pig stomach, and chicken again—that place is great.”\u003C\u002Fp>",1535,"2026-06-20T18:55:00.150Z",1,"Qwen3-Next 80B","2206f75f52faee022c2ba04a81e79508432878924f5ff612824b3baa92b282d2","the-nation-s-forensic-medical-examiner-chapter-140","the-nation-s-forensic-medical-examiner-chapter-138",1000,"https:\u002F\u002Fnovelzhen.com\u002Fimages\u002Fcovers\u002Fthe-nation-s-forensic-medical-examiner-cover.jpg"]