[{"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-141":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},2326836,4551,"Chapter 141","the-nation-s-forensic-medical-examiner-chapter-141",141,"\u003Cp>Jiang Village hall.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Paper-folded gold and silver treasures piled high, glittering.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Like Alibaba’s cave of the Forty Thieves.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Jiang Yuan’s hands were smeared with gold powder; he rubbed his eyes with the back of his hand.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He pulled out his pocket notebook.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>This notebook usually recorded information about the dead. Today, he made a small exception.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Which police officer told you the man was a scammer?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Yu Shan uncle hurriedly said:\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“It was the police from our county bureau—the one in the Economic Crimes Investigation Unit. I checked some connections, so I got the result.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“What result?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“A scammer—stole money and seduced women, scammed several people, total amount over 800,000.” Yu Shan uncle shook his head repeatedly.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Jiang Yuan frowned; the amount was indeed huge. If it were purely a financial scam, police should have already investigated.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“How much money was involved in your case?” Jiang Yuan avoided using the word “scammed,” in case it turned out to be a civil dispute, which would be a mess.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Yu Shan uncle, dejected, said:\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“First time, 180,000—he paid me back in two weeks, with 2,000 interest. I said forget it; he treated me to seafood, and that meal was worth more than 2,000.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Second time, I lent him 300,000—he paid me back after a full month, with 3,000 interest.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Third time, I lent him 600,000, then he borrowed another 120,000—he gave no interest, didn’t repay a single cent, and vanished.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Jiang Yuan silently calculated: damn, the scammer had swindled over 800,000 total, and Yu Shan had contributed 720,000—truly the biggest investor.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Speaking of money, Yu Shan’s heart ached, but he continued:\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“He scammed several girls too.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>As Yu Shan uncle spoke, he grew agitated:\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“The owner of the tea shop I frequent—he got taken in. He also seduced two other young girls who came to drink tea there. Plus, a female owner of a restaurant I know—she foolishly slept with him too…”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Yu Shan uncle counted on his fingers: “A beer girl, a beauty salon owner—who was also the restaurant owner’s friend—a school teacher, and the craziest one—he went on some spontaneous trip, met a girl on the road, and slept with her on the spot.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>As he spoke, more people gathered around.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Though they’d heard this story many times, the crowd still grew excited at this point.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Just imagine—hmm…\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“What did the girl who traveled with him do?” someone asked curiously.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“No job, she said she was preparing for the civil service exam. Someone that dumb could pass the exam?” Yu Shan uncle’s whole body perked up at this topic, filled with anger and envy.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“If he didn’t scam money from these girls, it’s not illegal,” Jiang Yuan said neutrally.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“He did scam them,” Yu Shan uncle affirmed. “At least the restaurant owner lost 100,000—he claimed they’d invest together in a restaurant. Said he had connections to get a prime location in a mall, needed an advance deposit…”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Jiang Yuan slightly furrowed his brow and asked: “Was your arrangement purely a loan? Did you sign an agreement?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Police were forbidden by ministry regulations from intervening in civil disputes.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Yu Shan uncle hesitated for several seconds: “I signed an agreement—he used a fake name. The ID number and name matched, but it wasn’t him.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Yu Shan uncle seemed to think this made things harder, and spoke hesitantly.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Jiang Yuan, however, breathed easier—he now understood why the police had so easily labeled it a scam. From the start, it was designed to defraud—plain fraud. The restaurant owner’s involvement was likely contract fraud.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>If it had been a real person with a real ID, borrowing for a real project and failing to repay, it would likely have become a civil dispute.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Civil disputes go to court, then enforcement—there are solutions, but the power and penalties are far weaker.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Still, civil disputes usually involve someone who can be enforced against—even a deadbeat debtor is still a debtor.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>But the scammer Yu Shan encountered—no matter the type—had vanished, and was basically gone for good.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Unless linked to another case later, the chances of catching him were low.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Give me the Economic Crimes Unit officer’s contact info—I’ll call and ask first,” Jiang Yuan guessed the police had other materials—victim statements, evidence, etc.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Yu Shan uncle grabbed a pen, ready to write on Jiang Yuan’s notebook.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Jiang Yuan quickly handed him a sheet of gold paper: “Write here.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Writing on gold paper isn’t right—it’s like writing to the dead,” Yu Shan uncle didn’t write.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Jiang Yuan thought: I’ve written plenty of dead people’s names in this notebook.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Still, he found fresh paper and gave it to Yu Shan uncle.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>After Yu Shan uncle finished writing, Jiang Fuzhen pulled him aside and asked: “Was this scammer handsome?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“What handsomeness can a 40-year-old man have? All the hair’s gone, all the skin’s sagging.” Yu Shan uncle’s voice turned harsh—he clearly had feelings on this: “He just wore nice clothes, a hat, good shoes—who can’t afford those?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Jiang Yuan tucked the paper with the investigating officer’s phone number and name away.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Then he walked off quietly and called Wei Zhenguo first.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Economic cases had their own characteristics and peculiarities; Jiang Yuan wasn’t familiar, but he understood.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Besides, though forensic officers were police, the Economic Crimes Unit and the Criminal Investigation Team still operated in separate spheres.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>As the saying goes, all criminal investigators are one family; some say all technical investigators are one family—but economic investigators? They’re all rivals.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Wei Zhenguo answered Jiang Yuan’s call and said cheerfully:\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“This case? Easy. I’ll ask for you.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He hung up, then called back shortly after.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Definitely a con artist—he’s been registered. The Economic Crimes Unit is handling it too, but they haven’t cracked it yet, that’s all.” Wei Zhenguo spoke calmly to Jiang Yuan, clearly seasoned.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Jiang Yuan asked: “Can you push it forward?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“I can nudge them, but they’ve got big cases piling up lately. Without direct leads, progress is hard.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“We have his phone, photos, fingerprints…”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Wei Zhenguo laughed: “The fingerprints collected by Economic Crimes get sent to your Forensic Team to wait in line. Without a match returned, they can’t do anything themselves.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Jiang Yuan understood: in the end, the burden fell on the Forensic Team.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Lately, big cases had come one after another, Jiang Yuan had just returned from the provincial capital—the Forensic Team was probably overwhelmed.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Jiang Yuan said: “So I should go back to the Forensic Team and get the fingerprints matched?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Fingerprints probably won’t help much, but give it a try. I’ll send someone over to talk to them and smooth things out,” Wei Zhenguo said casually—he had seniority and years of experience handling property crimes. If Jiang Yuan went himself, the other side’s attitude would be uncertain.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Jiang Yuan went back to folding gold ingots.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Jiang Fuzhen and Jiang Yushan came over and joined him, folding and talking.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Jiang Yuan briefly explained the situation; Jiang Yushan understood—having any leads was good—and happily resumed folding gold ingots.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He even discussed with Jiang Fuzhen about folding gold ingots together for their ancestor.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>For Jiang Yushan, losing hundreds of thousands wasn’t unbearable—it was being scammed that truly wore him down.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>As they folded gold ingots, Jiang Yushan naturally brought it up: “These scammers today? Impossible to guard against.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Jiang Yuan played along: “Why’s that?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“This guy I know—Peng Haoguang. At the tea shop, he was incredibly generous—he bought a whole salmon and treated everyone.” Jiang Yushan sighed. “I’ve been around so long, I’d never treat people like that.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“But… wasn’t it at the tea shop?” Jiang Yuan asked, puzzled.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Oh, you’ve never been,” Jiang Yushan smiled, then quickly sobered: “Tea shops sell tea slowly. Regulars love to linger—drink tea, chat, old customers talk among themselves; new guests? If you like them, chat; if not, ignore them.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“I see…”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Right—the owner has to chat too. Sometimes he buys snacks—tea cakes, Japanese food, you name it. But a whole salmon? Too expensive, and I don’t even like eating it.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Jiang Yuan understood: “That’s a pretty big bait.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“More than that—he treated them to Haidilao, Xiao Feiyang, hand-rice, imported liquor, all kinds of things,” Jiang Yushan sighed. “I actually liked this guy. If he hadn’t disappeared… now that he’s done this, I can’t even go back to that tea shop.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Jiang Yuan: …\u003C\u002Fp>",1382,"2026-06-20T18:55:00.150Z",1,"Qwen3-Next 80B","9f9defb1b97b1a4bbaeb96efa8e33be86af97785600e56a78a2d7f58aa201293","the-nation-s-forensic-medical-examiner-chapter-142","the-nation-s-forensic-medical-examiner-chapter-140",1000,"https:\u002F\u002Fnovelzhen.com\u002Fimages\u002Fcovers\u002Fthe-nation-s-forensic-medical-examiner-cover.jpg"]