[{"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-158":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},2326853,4551,"Chapter 158: The Weapon","the-nation-s-forensic-medical-examiner-chapter-158",158,"\u003Cp>The commercial street in Ningtai County was built to mimic the layout of Nanjing Road.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Of course, its level of prosperity and scale pales in comparison, but the leadership’s earnest effort deserves praise.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Overall, the central commercial street of Ningtai County was formed by closing off an original road, opening storefronts on both sides, and demolishing several buildings to expand commercial space.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Meanwhile, small alleys and side streets constantly connect within the commercial street, dispersing and gathering crowds.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Before online shopping became popular in the county, the pedestrian density on this commercial street rivaled that of Changyang City, the provincial capital.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The discount store Jiang Yuan and the others arrived at was located at the corner where a small alley met the commercial street.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>And it was a blind spot for surveillance cameras.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“This guy has studied surveillance systems thoroughly,” Wen Ming muttered, frowning as he stepped out of the police station.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He’d been a detective for years and had never encountered such a slippery criminal.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Before this, the problems he faced were mostly legal or procedural, sometimes even trouble from victims’ families or superiors.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>This criminal gave Wen Ming an entirely different feeling—like using a lure to fish in the wild: you think there’s a black fish in the pond, so you cast your bait, mimicking a frog’s movements, pretending to be a crawling reptile—but until it bites, you never know if there’s even a black fish there.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Jiang Yuan, in turn, comforted the more senior Wen Ming: “At least we got the shoe print. We can go back and check other surveillance footage for anyone wearing shoes like that.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The two clerks at the discount store gave some descriptions of the suspect’s appearance, but the middle-aged man’s face was so generic that their verbal descriptions were utterly ordinary and offered little basis for identification.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Although Huang Qiangmin had already applied to the higher-ups for a sketch artist, no one held out much hope.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>There are only two active sketch artists in the entire province of Shannan, and their workload has been steadily declining.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The problem with sketches isn’t whether they look like the suspect—it’s that it’s nearly impossible to find a criminal through a sketch alone; they’re mostly used for retrospective confirmation—once a suspect is caught, you compare the sketch to him.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>But when there are eyewitnesses, this method is like taking off your pants to fart—completely unnecessary.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Some units even believe sketches interfere with investigations…\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Take the Silver Case as an example—\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>This case became famous nationwide precisely because every possible investigative method was used—and none worked. It had fingerprints, but they didn’t match anyone; it had DNA, and every male in the city was tested, yet still no match; it even had a sketch, and when the suspect was finally caught, the sketch was remarkably accurate—but during the investigation, it yielded nothing.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>After the case was finally solved, five officers in Su Province received First-Class Merit, twelve received Second-Class Merit, nineteen received Third-Class Merit, and twenty-four were commended.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Some officers devoted their entire careers to this one case.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Some might ask: why do movies and TV shows from the so-called “free lantern nation” always feature brilliant sketch artists?\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Because they’re an immigrant nation.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>In immigrant nations, facial features are more distinct, making it easier for sketch artists to capture unique traits.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>In many small towns, a single genetic expression might truly belong to just one person—say, a flat face, small eyes, a sunken nose, black hair—search the entire town, and you might find only one such person, no more.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>In countries with long-standing gene pools and thorough genetic mixing, sketch artists have a much harder time.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Moreover, if no training system was established early on, by the time sketch artists’ skills improved, surveillance cameras had already spread rapidly across the country.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>In contrast, in the so-called “free lantern nation,” people are reluctant to surrender privacy to the government, so camera deployment is severely limited.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>With different national conditions, police investigative methods are vastly different.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Out of respect for the homicide case, Huang Qiangmin brought in a provincial sketch artist.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>But the main focus remained on reviewing surveillance footage.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Over a dozen individuals had been flagged and were now reviewing footage in the video analysis office.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Surveillance footage from around the commercial street and the Wanghe Building—all considered one area—when combined across many days and different departments, amounted to a massive volume.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Only because this was a homicide case did such a task become feasible; otherwise, without a video investigation unit, merely consolidating these video feeds would have been an enormous challenge.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>This is precisely why video investigation units have been established nationwide.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The main advantage of having a video investigation unit is merging surveillance access rights across departments, reducing unnecessary internal friction.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>As for image enhancement and similar tasks, video investigation units outside the provincial capital don’t pursue them.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>They can’t hire qualified staff, and even if they could, they couldn’t retain them.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Jiang Yuan also searched the footprint database using the shoe tread pattern and found no match—indicating the suspect had genuinely bought a new set of clothes in the store to commit the crime.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>This indirectly suggests the suspect had strong intent and planned the crime in advance.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Thus, following the traditional pattern, veteran detectives, who relied on grudges and personal relationships, perked up.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>If you plan a murder, there must be a reason—you must have a motive.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>So if we can find the motive—or someone with a grudge—wouldn’t we find the killer?\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The victim was still a young man with limited social contact; even counting family conflicts, there weren’t many suspects.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Several veteran detectives immediately set out on the ground.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Jiang Yuan didn’t have much faith in this approach.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The reason was clear: although this was a planned crime, those who kill out of personal grudges are usually ordinary people.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>But this suspect was not ordinary.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>At the very least, he knew how to avoid surveillance.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>This skill isn’t hard per se, but it’s clearly learned—and not just passively learned, but practiced repeatedly.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Street surveillance cameras are openly mounted, no hiding them—yet even so, ordinary people or first-time offenders could never completely avoid them.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Even the Wanghe Building’s surveillance was avoided: the suspect bypassed the main entrance and lobby, likely entering through an employee passage.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Without surveillance footage, there’s nothing to enhance.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>No footprints. No fingerprints.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Jiang Yuan pulled out the autopsy photos taken by his master and reviewed them several times, but found nothing.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>After several days, some had begun questioning again whether the death was murder or suicide.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>At this point, the first batch of trace evidence sent to Changyang City returned.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Not just Jiang Yuan, half the technical staff of the Criminal Science Team gathered to examine it.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Trace evidence typically only proves the presence of a substance; its meaning still requires analysis and interpretation by the team.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Each trace evidence report was sealed in a manila envelope.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Inside were just a few pages of A4 paper, with tables, data, and analytical conclusions.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Jiang Yuan opened one, read it, then passed it to the person beside him.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Team leader Lu Jianfeng personally brought back the reports and sat beside Jiang Yuan, watching him open the envelopes, remarking: “Look at the lab’s service—each report in its own envelope. Worth every few hundred yuan.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Everyone could only offer a polite, forced smile.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Pressure from the case had now reached everyone.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>At this point, spending a few hundred yuan on trace evidence analysis was no longer a concern.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Jiang Yuan opened the first report, said nothing, and passed it to the next person.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>That person read it, then passed it on.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Everyone silently circulated the reports.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Trace evidence from different locations might be meaningful—or meaningless.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Interpretation was equally important.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>But the real focus lay in substances and concentrations that defied common sense.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Jiang Yuan frowned and quickly flipped through half the manila envelopes.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Just as his spirits began to sink, the conclusion in a new envelope caught his attention.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“They found wood shavings in the victim’s chest trace evidence,” Jiang Yuan whispered, his finger hovering slightly, eyes brightening.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Lu Jianfeng immediately took it, studied the photo, and gestured over Wang Zhong’s chest: “Interesting location—did the killer use a weapon?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Jiang Yuan turned directly to Wu Jun: “Master, did you notice the swelling here?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“On the chest? Yes, there’s slight swelling. I took photos,” Wu Jun replied, then took the trace evidence report to examine closely.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>As he looked, Jiang Yuan’s mind suddenly clicked:\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“It’s a mop handle.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Jiang Yuan murmured the words aloud.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Instantly, everyone else’s minds connected the dots.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Very likely,” Lu Jianfeng slapped his thigh, gesturing: “Grab a mop handle, jab it into the victim’s chest, and you can push him out. Look at the shoe position in the video photo—isn’t the distance just right?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Photos were right there; they spread them out and all nodded in agreement.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“But would the victim just stand calmly by the window, letting him jab? And why climb out the window at all?” Gao Jiansheng from the video office gestured the distance while raising the question.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“A healthy person climbs out a window—either for money, or because he’s been wronged, or bullied?” Wu Jun analyzed one by one.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Then other employees at the victim’s company become suspects,” Lu Jianfeng mused.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Jiang Yuan naturally followed this line of thought and added: “We need to find that mop handle—it’s the weapon now.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>——————Side Note——————\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>I’ve been sleeping too late these past few days and can’t keep going—today’s update ends here.\u003C\u002Fp>",1593,"2026-06-20T18:55:00.150Z",1,"Qwen3-Next 80B","d43dd45c1dc0949343dc311987bc23c424ac7fe95e006843bfadabc996ff2658","the-nation-s-forensic-medical-examiner-chapter-159","the-nation-s-forensic-medical-examiner-chapter-157",1000,"https:\u002F\u002Fnovelzhen.com\u002Fimages\u002Fcovers\u002Fthe-nation-s-forensic-medical-examiner-cover.jpg"]