[{"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-52":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},2326747,4551,"Chapter 52: Chapter Fifty-Two: People from the Underworld","the-nation-s-forensic-medical-examiner-chapter-52",52,"\u003Cp>“This…” Jiang Yuan didn’t know how to comfort someone, and Wei Zhenguo’s words struck him hard.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The recently concluded Ding Lan disappearance case had unearthed corpses; now Wei Zhenguo mentioned his wife’s disappearance, making it easy for people to Lianxiang  to the worst possibilities.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Wei Zhenguo lit a cigarette, smoke curling around him, then said: “I was on a business trip. When I came back, she was gone—phone unreachable, no trace at all. Huang’s team helped look too, but found nothing. The clues left behind… there weren’t really any clues… heh, later, please have Jiang the forensic doctor take a look.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Okay… okay.” Jiang Yuan dared not claim he could do anything. A detective’s wife missing— the bureau must have mobilized massive resources to search, yet still found nothing. This wasn’t a problem words could solve.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Let’s go. Get some sleep at the hotel. Tomorrow’s going to be busy.” Wei Zhenguo was just venting, not expecting Jiang Yuan to help. Jiang Yuan stood out in Ningtai County’s Forensic Team, but in Changyang City, his stature wasn’t prominent—there were plenty of technical experts from the municipal bureau and provincial department; even Huang Qiang had been called in before, and still, no leads.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>As a detective, Wei Zhenguo clearly knew some cases simply couldn’t be solved, and some were solved only by luck.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Like in TV dramas, a case happens and instantly draws all forces to penetrate its core… technically, that’s indeed the ideal procedure. But in reality, some cases aren’t discovered immediately; even when discovered, they aren’t taken seriously right away; even when taken seriously, mistakes often arise…\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Even Wei Zhenguo himself, when he couldn’t find his wife, didn’t immediately think of reporting it or preserving evidence. Even as a detective, he didn’t immediately assume a major case affecting his entire family was unfolding right beside him.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He started the car and drove back to the hotel.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Several people returned one by one; though they had much to say, they first chose sleep.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Jiang Yuan was no exception. Despite his crowded thoughts, sleep overwhelmed him—he didn’t wake until the next day.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The next day.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Noon.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The sun rose, bright and warm, bathing everything in golden light.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>In the small lobby of the modest hotel, those checking in or out were mostly relaxed, many smiling, showing they’d slept well last night.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The pothos on the small coffee table was lush, vibrant green, clearly well cared for by many hands.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Several detectives who had just been enveloped by the shadows of society suddenly found themselves bathed in its sunlight—and for a moment, they felt unaccustomed.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Feels like fighting in the underworld and coming back to the living world,” Mu Zhiyang said, sipping a Pocari Sweat with satisfaction.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Wei Zhenguo stretched and said: “We’ve only done a bit of temporary labor in the underworld.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Yeah, we only caught Tan Yong.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“That kind of monster—one is already too many,” Wei Zhenguo sighed.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Mu Zhiyang knew why his master was downcast and quickly asked: “By the way, did you release Tan Yong?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Wei Zhenguo grunted: “Released. I’ll go over later to hand over.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Good he’s released.” Everyone was pleased. After such grueling stakeouts, at least there was some result.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>They talked as they left the hotel and found a small restaurant to sit down.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Jiang Yuan settled in and asked: “What was Tan Yong’s original motive? Did he pursue Ding Lan and fail? Or what?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>This was an answer evidence couldn’t provide—Jiang Yuan was genuinely curious.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Something like that. Ding Lan liked good-looking men… that word Xiao Mu mentioned…” Wei Zhenguo tapped his head, forgetting the term.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Beauty dog,” Mu Zhiyang supplied.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Right, that one. She changed boyfriends fast, probably had a lot of one-night stands, but always demanded this ‘beauty dog’ standard…”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Mu Zhiyang murmured: “Master, you’re not using that term correctly.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“In short, Tan Yong saw how often Ding Lan changed boyfriends and got lustful,” Wei Zhenguo lit another cigarette, puffing smoke: “According to his confession, he gave her a gift once, she refused; invited her to dinner, she refused. Then Tan Yong developed other thoughts.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The other detectives, seeing Wei Zhenguo smoke, each reached for cigarettes… they took all the cigarettes from his hand and began puffing away.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Jiang Yuan silently pulled a pack of Zhonghua from his pocket and placed it on the table—he didn’t smoke, but he had money.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Mu Zhiyang unhesitatingly tore open Jiang Yuan’s Zhonghua, handed the first cigarette to Wei Zhenguo, and said: “Master, continue.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Finally, he ran into Ding Lan on the road, stopped her, they argued, he beat her, then forced her into his car,” Wei Zhenguo sighed: “Tan Yong said he originally planned to dump her by the highway to scare her, but couldn’t resist raping her.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The men listened in silence, no one inclined to comment.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“That house was originally one Tan Yong acquired years ago as debt repayment. Later, due to purchase restrictions, he put it under a distant relative’s name in his village. He took Ding Lan there, initially intending to kill and bury her, but… according to him, under Ding Lan’s pleading, he decided to dig a basement instead—Ding Lan even helped dig it.” Wei Zhenguo shook his head: “Afterward, all three women were prostitutes, including the dead one—Tan Yong lured them in, played with them, then forced them to help dig basements. If we hadn’t caught him this time, he might have kidnapped more people and expanded the basement further.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Did Tan Yong kill the dead woman? Because she disobeyed?” Mu Zhiyang pressed.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Tan Yong denies it. He says he went over one day and found her dead. He didn’t ask further—he couldn’t get answers. But this answer won’t necessarily hold up,” Wei Zhenguo said.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Mu Zhiyang sneered: “He says he didn’t kill her, so he didn’t? The basement is full of his evidence.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“The higher-ups definitely want to make this an airtight case. Confessions are still crucial. Of course, Tan Yong denies it mainly because he doesn’t want to die,” Wei Zhenguo inhaled deeply.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>On this land, confessions have always outweighed physical evidence, especially outside the judicial system—when a murderer repeatedly claims “I’m innocent,” even with all evidence pointing to him, many still see sentencing him, especially to death, as imperfect.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>For detectives, obtaining a confession that makes the suspect truly admit guilt is also a vital step—they still prefer it when possible.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Mu Zhiyang grimaced: “He still won’t die?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Who knows? But if he escapes the murder charges, he has a high chance of getting a suspended death sentence,” Wei Zhenguo said. Seeing the dishes arrive, he waved his hand: “Eat. Don’t talk about them anymore. Later, I heard the provincial bureau is sending people over—get yourselves ready.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Provincial bureau?” Jiang Yuan looked puzzled.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The provincial bureau sounded grand, but in reality had few personnel. Ordinary murder cases rarely drew their attention. True, this case had significant impact, but now it seemed over—the remaining investigative steps were barely worth the effort.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Unless…\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Jiang Yuan guessed: “Did they uncover something new?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Maybe,” Wei Zhenguo acknowledged: “People from the underworld don’t follow rules.”\u003C\u002Fp>",1183,"2026-06-20T18:55:00.150Z",1,"Qwen3-Next 80B","b7793f3f5d2c30f17d9155eb56cf3bce524deddd2936631586464222056c1abe","the-nation-s-forensic-medical-examiner-chapter-53","the-nation-s-forensic-medical-examiner-chapter-51",1000,"https:\u002F\u002Fnovelzhen.com\u002Fimages\u002Fcovers\u002Fthe-nation-s-forensic-medical-examiner-cover.jpg"]