[{"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-168":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},2326863,4551,"Chapter 168: The Real Case","the-nation-s-forensic-medical-examiner-chapter-168",168,"\u003Cp>The small lecture hall of the Qinghe Bureau is on the first floor of the office building.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The indoor plants are slightly withered, but no one cares.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>It, along with other unimportant departments, keeps its doors wide open, welcoming visitors from all directions—uninformed civilians and police officers from various regions who are equally clueless.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Yet, the utilization rate of this small lecture hall remains very high.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>As a theoretical bureau, Qinghe Bureau places great emphasis on organizing and reporting various activities; otherwise, its existence would be utterly meaningless.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Today, the lecture hall is filled with quite a few people, and a tall young man is slowly delivering his lecture, as if giving a speech on a college stage.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>But the atmosphere is quite different.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The young police officer wears gray shoulder insignia—he’s a technical officer—dressed in a full uniform that looks sharp. Though he doesn’t resemble today’s popular idol stars, he’s a clean-cut, sunny young man, and the uniform adds to his appeal. Sitting at the podium, his expression is serious, his movements natural and effortless; any photo taken of him could serve as promotional material.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Jiang Yuan also wore non-prescription glasses for this training—he has no nearsightedness—but his mentor said wearing glasses would make him look more authoritative.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Meanwhile, the officers seated in the audience stared intently at the projection screen, their facial muscles visibly twitching, eyes wide open, straining with concentration.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The first round of twenty similar fingerprints appeared in a vertical column on the right side of the screen.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The left three-quarters displayed the fingerprint with the highest similarity score, fully rendered.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Alright, let’s look at the first round of returned fingerprints.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Jiang Yuan pushed his unfamiliar glasses up with one hand, gripped the mouse with the other, clicked once, and zoomed the left fingerprint to fill the entire screen.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The fingerprint displayed on the projection screen was also quite clear.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Hmm, here’s an exclusion point.” Jiang Yuan clicked twice, zoomed in further, then drew a small circle with his mouse on the right side of the fingerprint, gesturing for everyone to see.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>For fingerprints already matched, the standard is no longer how many feature points match, but whether any feature point differs.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>This is easy to understand: if two fingerprints are identical, theoretically, all their feature points must be identical.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Therefore, if even one feature point differs between two fingerprints, it can be ruled out.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>That is, the two fingerprints are not the same.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Following this logic, Jiang Yuan eliminated two similar fingerprints in succession.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>At this point, Cao Keyang from the Qinghe City Bureau, seated in the front row below, said: “Teacher Jiang, shouldn’t we display both fingerprints side by side for comparison? Eliminating them directly makes it hard for everyone to see clearly.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Jiang Yuan reacted quickly, clicking twice to display both the original fingerprint and the matched one simultaneously in the left three-quarters of the screen.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Sorry, I thought the first few fingerprints could be handled faster,” Jiang Yuan said sincerely.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Cao Keyang felt an inexplicable pang of bitterness and quickly added: “It’s fine—it’s not your fault. But since this is a lecture, it’s better to go slower and clearer.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Mm, I’ll pay attention,” Jiang Yuan nodded. “Let’s re-examine the first two fingerprints.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Then, Jiang Yuan performed the exact same motion, drawing a circle on the right.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>This time, however, he also drew a circle on the left.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Finally, the audience burst into a continuous chorus of “Oh!”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Seeing this, Jiang Yuan pressed on, circling the second and third fingerprints as well, and eliminating them.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The audience’s “Oh oh” murmurs gradually faded.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Technicians with fingerprint proficiency below LV1 began to feel a strange bitterness—a dull, aching, indescribable sensation.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>They finally realized Jiang Yuan had memorized the entire original difficult fingerprint.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>So, his earlier eliminations were done purely from memory.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Without needing to compare, having the original image in mind made elimination or matching incredibly fast.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>That’s not unusual.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>If someone had started preparing days ago, with enough time, everyone could memorize parts of the fingerprint…\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>But who would actually do that?\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>No one expects such intricate fingerprints to be memorized.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Even the fingerprints themselves would get annoyed.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Only forensic technicians who’ve spent years focusing on a single difficult fingerprint gradually memorize its features—but then again…\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>While some were lost in thought, Jiang Yuan eliminated three more similar fingerprints.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Then Jiang Yuan said: “At this point, it’s generally recommended to review all twenty fingerprints. But today we won’t—because the similarity scores keep dropping, meaning the probability of further matches is already extremely low…”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Cao Keyang froze.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The audience froze.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Why did this feel so familiar?\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Like back in school, when you bent down to pick up a pencil, then looked up and couldn’t understand the teacher anymore.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Even the final words were identical: “I won’t write out the remaining steps because they’re simple—we’ll skip them—but the conclusion we can draw is…”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Jiang Yuan showed no intention to pause.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>After eliminating the first batch of fingerprints, Jiang Yuan pulled up the original fingerprint again and said: “Now we’ll mark the fourth round of feature points.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Blurred vision,\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>dazzling patterns overwhelming the eyes,\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>out of sight, out of mind,\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>even if annoyed, it’s useless—\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>after this whirlwind of operations, Jiang Yuan completed thirteen new markings.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Jiang Yuan said: “The positions we just marked are common feature points. Since they didn’t match, it shows the previous forensic technician did a decent job—the suspect didn’t leave a clear, complete fingerprint for us to match. No problem—we’ll try again.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Similar to before, Jiang Yuan submitted the marked fingerprint to the fingerprint database for comparison.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Soon, the database returned another vertical column of twenty fingerprints.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“We still need to compare left and right, right?” Jiang Yuan asked Cao Keyang politely.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Cao Keyang nodded obediently, focusing intently on the projector.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>This time, he felt he was finally prepared.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>On the left three-quarters of the screen, two fingerprints appeared.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Jiang Yuan’s mouse moved gently, circling a small area on the left, then on the right. “Excluded, right? Same as before.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Second one excluded.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Same thing.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“For the rest, we don’t need to circle each one individually.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>As he spoke, Jiang Yuan rapidly sent fingerprints across the screen.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Each time he tapped the spacebar, a new fingerprint replaced the previous one on screen.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Since he no longer circled, he simply glanced, said “No,” then tapped the spacebar again to bring up the next fingerprint.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Cao Keyang stared at first, but soon slipped back into his earlier state:\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>eyes\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>dizzy\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>eyes\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>annoyed\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>For a moment, Cao Keyang almost thought he was scrolling through short videos.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The screen was full of influencer girls, all looking nearly identical.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Look once, swipe away.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Look again, swipe away again.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>In a daze, half an hour passed.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>At this point, Jiang Yuan had just marked the fourth round of feature points and said: “Actually, the feature points we just marked weren’t necessary—they were just for demonstration.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Once you’ve practiced enough, you can skip this marking pattern, because these points overlap with the previous two rounds. If you’re just experimenting, this method is inefficient.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“A more efficient approach is to define a small area and mark as many feature points as possible—this improves the accuracy of returned matches, though it’s harder.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Still, the old method…”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>As Jiang Yuan spoke, the lecture hall filled with the rapid, rhythmic tapping of spacebars.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Not just Cao Keyang—most technicians in the hall were now numb.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Jiang Yuan moved too fast.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Everyone struggled to keep up.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Yet none of them considered that if Jiang Yuan worked at their pace, explaining and processing each difficult fingerprint step by step, it would take days to complete one.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>A single training session lasts only two 2-hour blocks.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Some older forensic technicians cleared their throats, signaling they wanted to speak.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Everyone held their breath, waiting for this brave soul to voice their thoughts.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>After all, this was a disciplinary unit’s training—if the instructor got upset, consequences were inevitable.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The tapping suddenly stopped.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>For nearly half a minute, Jiang Yuan said nothing, made no movement.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The lecture hall fell so silent that Cao Keyang, who had nearly given up, involuntarily looked up at the projection screen.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The screen still showed two fingerprints.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>On the left, the original difficult fingerprint—like a woman in a tight skirt, barely covered, yet revealing nothing.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>On the right, the database fingerprint—ordinary, like a frosty executive in a tailored suit, sharp-eyed, rejecting, with not a single flaw.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Matched, right?” Jiang Yuan added, as if part of the lecture.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Cao Keyang was utterly stunned—what does “matched” mean?\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He looked at the latent fingerprint on the left, then at the fingerprint in the database on the right.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>It looks pretty similar.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Nearly identical.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>No discrepancies.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Cannot be ruled out.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Then… doesn’t that mean we have to confirm they’re the same?\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>So in the end, the curvy beauty and the icy beauty are the same person?\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Cao Keyang’s team was stunned.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Not just Cao Keyang—half the police officers in the room were in a daze.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>At this point, Jiang Yuan began skillfully drafting the “Identity Confirmation” report and applied for review.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>In a room of over forty people, only Jiang Yuan was filling out forms.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Everyone understood the form-filling part.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Just wait a moment for the review—I’ll find a phone number for this jurisdiction,” Jiang Yuan said, then added to the trainees: “Sorry to hold you up for two minutes; since we’ve identified the suspect, it’s polite to make a call.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“No problem, no problem,” a group of police officers waved their hands nervously.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Jiang Yuan switched back to the case details, located the jurisdictional police station’s information, and smiled: “It’s Miaohé County. I’ve called them before—just a moment.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Jiang Yuan had matched a fingerprint from a cold case in Miaohé County during the provincial fingerprint sweep, so he had saved the phone number of Miaohé County’s Criminal Investigation Brigade captain.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Jiang Yuan dialed the number, and soon, the captain of Miaohé County’s Criminal Investigation Brigade chuckled over the line: “Dr. Jiang, what a surprise—what’s the good news?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“I just matched a routine case—a robbery from over six years ago… yes, I’ll send you the details via the internal network. That’s right, right… oh, the review’s been approved… no need to thank me, no need at all.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Jiang Yuan sat at the lectern, with excellent audio pickup—nearly every word of the two men’s phone conversation reached the audience’s ears.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The technicians in the room were all in a daze.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Could the captain of Miaohé County’s Criminal Investigation Brigade really be this nice?\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Could someone this easygoing really be a Criminal Investigation Brigade captain?\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>And what exactly just happened?\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Amid the eerie silence, Jiang Yuan completed the step of sending the information via the internal network.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Alright, the review is approved. So this six-year-old robbery cold case now has a new critical lead. Next, we’ll see if Miaohé County can locate and apprehend the suspect. For us, the fingerprint comparison work on this case is complete.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Jiang Yuan closed the several pages he had just opened, finishing the final cleanup.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Let’s find another typical fingerprint and try repeating the method we just used—see if it’s viable,” Jiang Yuan said, searching through fingerprints again.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The guy who had been clearing his throat earlier finally couldn’t hold back—he stood up with a “whoosh,” but what he meant to say changed completely: “Wait—was what we just did a real case?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Yes,\" Jiang Yuan replied. \"That's why it's a practical lecture. By the way... are you comfortable with my content and teaching style?\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Yes yes yes, but—wait, we… no, you… not you, sir—you just solved a robbery case?” The throat-clearing guy couldn’t accept it.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Soon, the small lecture hall was filled with loud chatter.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Someone quietly sent a message: Brother, come quick—there’s a god here.\u003C\u002Fp>",1971,"2026-06-20T18:55:00.150Z",1,"Qwen3-Next 80B","0397ee459a01d074f99ea37637cb4a80c49b01847102bafd918b4e106e2967c6","the-nation-s-forensic-medical-examiner-chapter-169","the-nation-s-forensic-medical-examiner-chapter-167",1000,"https:\u002F\u002Fnovelzhen.com\u002Fimages\u002Fcovers\u002Fthe-nation-s-forensic-medical-examiner-cover.jpg"]