[{"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-51":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},2326746,4551,"Chapter 51: The Demon Among Humans","the-nation-s-forensic-medical-examiner-chapter-51",51,"\u003Cp>Police cars rolled into the neighborhood, and soon warning tape was strung all around Building No. 4.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>After making several calls to Huang Qiangmin, Wei Zhenguo handed over command of the scene and arranged for Ding Lan and others to get in the car and return to the police station first.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Soon, Changyang City’s on-site investigation vehicle arrived, accompanied by multiple technicians entering the site.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“What’s the situation below?” asked Cao Zhouquan, captain of the on-site investigation team, as he donned and checked his gear, looking toward Wei Zhenguo and Jiang Yuan and the others.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“One of our detectives entered the dungeon; everyone else stayed outside the final iron door. I’ve already taped off the area and collected fingerprints from several door handles and swabbed a few cotton sticks.” Jiang Yuan gave a simple reply.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Captain Cao Zhouquan had a broad face and a classic middle-aged handsome look—the kind that could tempt people into affairs.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He hadn’t expected Jiang Yuan to hold back from such a major case without entering the dungeon, and he looked at him with new respect, confirming: “You didn’t go in at all?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“No.” Jiang Yuan answered.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Not bad. You’ve got discipline.” Cao Zhouquan nodded. In the county, knowing when to retreat was already impressive.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Grateful for Jiang Yuan’s discretion, Cao Zhouquan said politely: “Alright, if you think of anything else later, let me know.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Jiang Yuan watched Ding Lan and the others get into the police car through the window, then added: “You might dig up the area between the computer desk and the far wall—see if anything’s buried underneath.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Captain Cao Zhouquan frowned: “Buried what?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“I don’t know. Maybe a body.” Jiang Yuan didn’t drag it out—he said directly: “The space below is cramped, and that spot is noticeably empty. The prisoner probably knew something was there. I’m guessing, but you could ask them.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Understood.” Cao Zhouquan exhaled. “We’ll focus our search there. If you think of anything else, let us know.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“That…,” Jiang Yuan called out to Cao Zhouquan.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Hmm?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“The basement doesn’t look big, but the excavation work was massive. Even if Tan Yong was strong, digging it alone would’ve been nearly impossible. Also, the chisel marks inside look messy and shallow—not like the work of a healthy adult male…”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Cao Zhouquan cut him off: “You suspect Tan Yong made the imprisoned woman dig the basement?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Yes.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Alright… not surprising. We’ll collect evidence later.” Cao Zhouquan paused his movements and asked: “Anything else?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“We don’t have much evidence yet. It’s all up to you now.” Jiang Yuan wanted to join the investigation—he was confident he could do better than ordinary technicians—but given the current chaos, he wisely stayed silent.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Cao Zhouquan now realized Jiang Yuan was unusual. In just a few sentences, Jiang Yuan had deduced the case’s key evidence purely through observation. His restraint wasn’t just knowing when to retreat—it was something far more advanced.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Cao Zhouquan asked himself: even years ago, or even now, would he have had Jiang Yuan’s patience? And considering fame and rewards, what decision would he have made? It was hard to say.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Such ability, combined with the wisdom to wait for the full on-site team to arrive—Cao Zhouquan politely thanked Jiang Yuan, then called out to his apprentice and descended into the vertical shaft.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Another technician, carrying gear, the two of them twisted like broken Mario characters as they squeezed into the shaft.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Only after Wei Zhenguo and the others had gone down did he walk over, surprised: “Is there a body down there?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Very likely. But we won’t know until we dig it up.” Jiang Yuan realized he’d spoken too late: “Should I tell Huang Qiang again?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“It’s fine like this. If it’s a homicide, we’ll definitely hand it over. We can’t handle it ourselves.” Wei Zhenguo shook his head. The criminal investigation unit never chased case volume—on paper, they didn’t even want major cases, because cases were always too numerous, and the pressure and cost of big cases far outweighed any possible rewards.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Captain Cao Zhouquan spent a long time in the basement, with technicians constantly coming and going.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>When Cao Zhouquan came back up, his classic middle-aged handsome face was hidden behind a gas mask.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“We found one body. Preliminary judgment: a young woman… blunt force trauma to the back of the head—definitely homicide…” The captain gave a brief summary, as a gesture of appreciation for Jiang Yuan’s restraint.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Wei Zhenguo asked: “Did you find any traces of Tan Yong?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Fingerprints, footprints, semen stains—plenty of them.” The captain gave a definitive answer.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Wei Zhenguo and Jiang Yuan exchanged a glance, and both finally relaxed.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Though Tan Yong was a monster, at least he wasn’t so twisted he avoided sex—or even wore protective gear while doing it. It was a sliver of light in a dark life.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Slowly, Jiang Yuan’s vision filled with a system prompt:\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Task completed: Full-Region Match\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Task description: Wei Zhenguo believes clues to the Ding Lan disappearance case (Case 326) may lie in the bicycle’s fingerprints. Match the collected fingerprints and attempt to solve the case.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Reward: Forensic Anthropology (Lv3)\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Jiang Yuan accepted it without hesitation.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Forensic anthropology was a legitimate branch of forensic science, but compared to forensic pathology, its practical difficulty was far greater.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>According to Western classifications, such as in the UK, forensic anthropology was classified as a science, not medicine. Thus, students who studied forensic anthropology in the UK received no medical license.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>To explain forensic branches simply: the most common and in-demand is forensic pathology, which answers “How did this person die?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Next, the frequently used forensic clinical science, which answers “How was this person injured?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Then, occasionally used forensic physical evidence science, which answers “Why is this pile of shit here?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Forensic anthropology was what most forensic experts least wanted to use—it answered “What is this?” Starting from basic questions like “Is this human or a water monkey? Male or female? Elderly or young?” all the way to “Who is this?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Jiang Yuan’s skills in forensic anthropology were negligible. Most forensic science graduates were the same—most learned on the job over time.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Jiang Yuan stared at his newly acquired skill and cautiously asked Cao Zhouquan: “Where will today’s body be autopsied? Can I participate?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“I’ll ask for you, but I doubt it.” Cao Zhouquan spoke honestly: “Single homicide cases are usually autopsied at the district level. But this case won’t be small—both city and district forensic teams will be involved. I’ll ask for you.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>According to public security regulations in Shannan Province, jurisdiction belonged to the location where the crime occurred.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>So, since the body was found in Changyang City, the case would be filed under a district there. The city bureau rarely filed cases directly, because it dealt with the city procuratorate and city court—and if the court ruled, appeals went to the provincial high court, which was unnecessarily complicated and would draw heavy criticism.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>But Changyang City Bureau’s three senior forensic experts always supported wherever a homicide occurred. In cases involving multiple victims or high public impact, they personally performed autopsies.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Overall, within criminal investigation, cooperation was common—even across cities. As the saying went: “All criminal investigators are one family.” There were always times when they needed to arrest suspects or handle cases in other places, and cooperation was frequent.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>From a social standpoint, most criminal investigators were police academy graduates, mostly working within the province. And each province had only one or two police academies—in Shannan Province, it was just Shannan Police Academy. Dig deep enough, and everyone was classmates. When they worked a case together, ate barbecue, drank, and sang “Golden Shield, Forged in Blood,” they’d often burst into tears.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Wei Zhenguo had only contacted the local criminal investigation detachment after getting approval from his team leader, Huang Qiangmin. Once the handover was complete, he let out a long breath.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“At least we’ve given a proper account.” Wei Zhenguo sat back in the car, feeling utterly drained.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Jiang Yuan could only partially understand, and followed up: “Was this case buried for a long time?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“How to put it… back then, this case was just an ordinary one.” Wei Zhenguo looked out the window, speaking slowly: “I, and everyone else, considered every possibility—but we never imagined we’d actually encounter a monster like this. A demon among humans.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“At least it’s solved now.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Mm.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“So let’s lighten up—at least today, we solved the case.” Jiang Yuan tried to lift Wei Zhenguo’s spirits.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Yeah.” Wei Zhenguo’s smile was grim: “My wife went missing back then too.”\u003C\u002Fp>",1424,"2026-06-20T18:55:00.150Z",1,"Qwen3-Next 80B","08c27f1ff1875896307d823548b81ccac4d8c377f82ed5bb4373417fb3eadd09","the-nation-s-forensic-medical-examiner-chapter-52","the-nation-s-forensic-medical-examiner-chapter-50",1000,"https:\u002F\u002Fnovelzhen.com\u002Fimages\u002Fcovers\u002Fthe-nation-s-forensic-medical-examiner-cover.jpg"]