Chapter 354: Gradually Exceeding the Norm

Chiyong City.

The cold wind blew through the transparent station, even more so here.

Yuan Ben glanced at the political commissar beside him and saw that he had shoved both hands into his sleeves; he couldn't help but say, "Commissar Liu, why don't you rest inside for a while? I'll call you when the train arrives."

"I'm not that delicate," Commissar Liu said, shaking his hands to generate warmth. "Back then, when we were on stakeout, we wore even less than this—we'd sit in the woods all night waiting for someone. What's the big deal?"

"The 'back then' you're talking about was when you were thirty, right?"

"Twenty. Back then, young people with even a little education rose fast—I was nearly ready to be a battalion commander by thirty." The commissar smiled faintly, glancing at Yuan Ben's shoulder insignia. "Nothing like your generation."

Yuan Ben spread his hands. "I understand your body's cold, but your words are just as icy—it's disheartening."

Commissar Liu laughed twice. "Promotion or not, it's all the same. Look at me—I'm just a big-time detective now, plus I handle receptions. Isn't that right?"

"You say that."

Yuan Ben couldn't agree with that, so he thought quickly and said, "At least if you died for the country, your funeral allowance would be higher than mine."

The commissar stared calmly at Yuan Ben. "I think you're just hoping to collect a funeral allowance."

The high-speed train slowly pulled into the station.

Through the glass door, Yuan Ben spotted Jiang Yuan—he'd seen his photo and immediately pointed him out to the commissar.

Commissar Liu rubbed his hands together and hurried forward.

"Captain Jiang, welcome to Chiyong City," the commissar said, shaking Jiang Yuan's hand with his now-warmed palms, then introducing himself.

"Commissar Liu," Jiang Yuan replied politely. The brigade's political commissar held a slightly higher rank than Huang Qiangmin; even though Huang had already negotiated the price, proper respect was still due.

Liu Jinghui stepped forward automatically and also shook hands with Commissar Liu.

"I've reserved a private room at the restaurant up ahead. Let's go rest, have something to eat, then head to the bureau afterward?" Commissar Liu suggested with a smile.

Jiang Yuan was reluctant. "Why not go straight to the crime scene?"

"You still need to eat. Besides, the team's been traveling all day. Let's have a meal first, then head to the crime scene—we still have time."

"Hmm."

Seeing Jiang Yuan still resisting, Commissar Liu cleared his throat. "This was arranged by Director Huang."

"Huh?" Jiang Yuan hadn't reacted yet.

Tang Jia whispered beside him, "Director Huang did mention something about meal and hotel standards—for Chiyong, there must be some specific requirements."

Jiang Yuan exclaimed, "Now he's concerned about comfort? That's not like Huang's style."

"It's a different province. Resources might be harder to arrange. Plus, they might be worried you'll eat poorly or sleep badly out here," Tang Jia murmured softly.

Jiang Yuan thought: You've never seen the meal and accommodation standards of Huang's era in the Criminal Investigation Unit.

Still, he understood—some of Huang Qiangmin's demands were likely impossible for Chiyong, located far from the capital.

After all, they couldn't ask the province to build a new building for Ningtai County. Since work-related demands couldn't be fully met, they naturally raised the living standards.

You can't ask people to work for free—Huang Qiangmin, if he were here, would probably say exactly that.

As they talked, they arrived at the restaurant ahead.

The private room was well-decorated, and the dinner was genuinely excellent—the restaurant wasn't grand, but the food was flavorful, aromatic, and carried local character.

Commissar Liu himself was witty and humorous, telling jokes and anecdotes. Had they drunk alcohol, it would've been an utterly harmonious and friendly meal.

Jiang Yuan ate his fill, patted his stomach, then looked out the window. "It's getting late. Let's delay the crime scene visit—I'd like to go straight to the autopsy."

For a recent crime scene, of course, the sooner you inspect it, the better—even at night. But this scene had been untouched for nearly half a month; Jiang Yuan preferred to wait until tomorrow's weather improved for a thorough examination.

In comparison, autopsy didn't require choosing an auspicious day.

Commissar Liu had just picked up a piece of pork intestine and quietly set down his chopsticks. "Autopsy is fine—but will you be performing it yourself, Captain Jiang?"

He knew Jiang Yuan's primary role was forensic medicine, but from his thirty years of experience, he understood that those with exceptional strength in one area often compensated by weakness in others. Given Jiang Yuan's outstanding detective skills—solving cold cases left and right—his forensic abilities were probably questionable.

That's why Commissar Liu asked whether Jiang Yuan had brought another forensic doctor along.

Jiang Yuan simply shook his head. "I'll do the autopsy myself. Please notify the team—if possible, I'd like to perform a full dissection."

Dissection required removing the bodies from the cold storage and thawing them again, which normally needed advance notice.

But Jiang Yuan's request for a secondary dissection was even harder to fulfill—it amounted to a forensic re-examination.

Commissar Liu still agreed without hesitation. This had all been discussed beforehand; Chiyong had to meet Jiang Yuan's investigative demands, or his visit would be pointless.

Besides, forensic autopsies were never easy. Jiang Yuan's willingness to do it himself showed his attitude. From that perspective, Commissar Liu had no reason to object.

So, some returned to the hotel to rest, while a few accompanied Jiang Yuan to the funeral parlor to begin the autopsy on the spot.

All four bodies were removed. Jiang Yuan first examined each body's exterior, then began thawing them, starting with the pathological tissue sections.

Modern forensic autopsies require tissue wax blocks and pathological sections. The four bodies yielded about a hundred wax blocks and slices, all ready for microscopic examination.

The family massacre case had been handled with strict protocol; forensic officer Qiu Xing's skills were solid—Jiang Yuan estimated him at around Level 2. in forensic pathology, among the top in frontline forensic work. His autopsy reports and tissue sections showed no major flaws.

Of course, if Jiang Yuan had performed the first autopsy, he'd have found even more. But whether those findings would help solve the case was uncertain.

Of course, if Jiang Yuan had performed the first autopsy, he would surely have discovered more, but whether that would help solve the case was uncertain.

Jiang Yuan had reviewed all the pathological sections, then turned back to examine the bodies, thanking Qiu Xing of Chiyong City.

Qiu Xing shrugged. "You're willing to stare at corpses all night? Fine by me. How'd we do?"

"Very good," Jiang Yuan smiled.

"You're a forensic doctor, right? Give us some feedback—it'll help us improve." Qiu Xing had heard of Jiang Yuan's reputation. He wasn't trying to compete, but he was curious about Jiang Yuan's skill.

At this point, Jiang Yuan simply said, "Hmm. For the heart and liver, continuous sections might be better."

Sectioning is a continuous process. During the first autopsy, organs like the brain and internal organs were placed in formalin solution.

After fixation, they turned hard and grayish. Then, the forensic doctor took samples from standard locations and any suspicious areas.

From this point, the work became complex, difficult, and unpleasant.

First, the tissues had been soaked in formalin—a 35% to 40% formaldehyde solution. Just spilling a spoonful on the floor would exceed indoor formaldehyde limits.

Second, each subsequent step—sampling, dehydration, embedding, sectioning—demanded higher technical skill.

Especially sectioning: slices were often only one cell thick. A single mistake could ruin them. Continuous sectioning meant cutting multiple consecutive slices to reveal finer details.

Qiu Xing had done continuous sections—but he'd botched the continuous sections for the heart and liver.

Since he'd asked, Jiang Yuan naturally pointed it out, leaving the forensic officer speechless.

Of course, a bit of resentment remained.

At that moment, Jiang Yuan stood before the male victim's body, picked up a scalpel, and began the dissection.

Qiu Xing stood beside him, assisting and watching, observing Jiang Yuan's technique. Jiang Yuan didn't perform any complex maneuvers; as he worked, he murmured softly: "Multiple superficial skin injuries on the head and face, located on… epidermal detachment on the back of the neck, situated at… multiple skull fractures on the head."

Mu Zhiyang quickly took notes beside him.

Qiu Xing stood beside him, assisting while watching, observing Jiang Yuan's own procedures. Jiang Yuan didn't perform any complex actions; as he worked, he muttered softly, "Multiple surface skin injuries on the head and face, located on… epidermal detachment at the back of the neck, situated at… multiple cranial fractures on the skull."

"Both shoulders and neck."

"Cervical vertebrae."

"Back."

At first, Jiang Yuan followed the standard procedure—but soon, his remarks began to exceed the norm.

"The knife-wielding killer is approximately 1. to 1. 5 meters tall."

At first, Jiang Yuan followed the standard procedure, but soon, the words he spoke began to go beyond the scope.

"The third person—the one who tied the ropes—is left-handed."

"The hammer-wielding killer also has powerful leg strength…"

The third person, the one tying the rope, should be a left yuezi.

The murderer holding the hammer also has great leg strength…